The Advertisement of Space Travel

 During our visit to JPL one of the most interesting aspects of a fully funded science program was the fact that they had a whole team dedicated to the visualization and artistic development of space. This really impressed me mainly because art seems to typically be in a lesser category when it comes from a scientific mindset. Out of all the projects that Dan Good's team showed us, I was immediately drawn to the the Exoplanet travel posters. Coming from a heavy film background, I really love the cinematic taste of the planets as well as the vintage take on space travel that helps get the public really interested in space from a visual point of view.
I started looking into Exoplanets and what particularly makes they inhabitable and found this great video that explains what exactly makes an Exoplanet safe for humans and goes more into the terminology surrounding the topic. It is also great because it mentions the visualization of these plants are an artists interpretation and might be the exact opposite of the planets actual characteristics. 

However, scientist have learned certain criteria that the Exoplanets do meet, and then work with artists to help create an estimated visualization of the surface, environment, and overall planet as well as the star that it orbits. In the next video, it further explains the relationship between science and artists when it comes to Exoplanets and beyond. 

On the other hand, what JPL is doing takes the creative interpretation of the Exoplanets and advertises the futuristic human consumer point of view. They are combining the natural appeal of travel and culture with actual facts of “far off lands” of foreign planets. It works not only because it is a really fascinating scientific topic but also because it is not overly or exclusively about space. It is more involving the human need to have fun and go on adventures that just happen to be in space.

When we were talking to the team that developed the posters, they mentioned that Time Magazine published an article about them concerning the project.

http://time.com/3659519/nasa-vintage-exoplanet-travel-posters/

In the article, they mention that this project is “capturing the excitement of space exploration” and that excitement is almost entirely directed at the common man, rather than a trained astronaut. They also mention that the actual travel to these planets are “impossible to visit in person with any current technology, so until we build a Star Trek-style warp drive or discover an Interstellar-esque worm hole, a trip to an Exoplanet will have to remain a dream” just that comment invertible directs the reader into the mind set of magical exploration and hyper realistic space travel as seen produced by Hollywood and enjoyed by people of all ages. Most people will look at these travel posters will think of Star Trek, Interstellar, or some other space cult-classic and will be absolutely thrilled that the technology is not impossible but can be imagined as such a normal way thinking. This will spark the interest of all ages and future generations to come in such an unconventional way.