Description
Book SynopsisStarting with the first man-made satellite 'Sputnik' in 1957 and culminating four years later with the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, space became a new utopian horizon. This book explores the profound repercussions of the Soviet space exploration program on culture and everyday life in Eastern Europe, especially in the Soviet Union itself.
Table of ContentsPreface Notes on Contributors Introduction: What does 'space culture' Mean in Soviet society?; E.Maurer , J.Richers , M.Rüthers & C.Scheide Writing about Soviet Space Exploration: A Short Overview over the State of Research; J.Richers PART I: SPIRITUALITY, TRANSCENDENCE AND SOVIET UTOPIANISM IN REFLECTIONS ON SPACE TRAVEL Introduction: Spirituality, Transcendence and Soviet Utopianism in Reflections on Space Travel; E.Maurer & J.Richers The Conquest of Space and the Bliss of the Atoms - Konstantin Tsiolkovskii; M.Hagemeister Empty/Void Space and the Cybernetic God: Kosmos in the Works of StanisLaw Lem and the Strugatsky Brothers; T.Grob The Contested Skies: The Battle of Science and Religion in the Soviet Planetarium; V.Smolkin PART II: REMEMBERING SPACE, CONSTRUCTING HEROES Introduction: Remembering Space, Constructing Heroes; C.Scheide & M.Rüthers Memories of Space and the Spaces of Memory: Remembering Sergei Korolev; S.Gerovitch The Heroic and the Ordinary: Photographic Representations of Soviet Cosmonauts in the Early 1960's; I.Kohonen 'Let's Find Out Where the Cosmonaut School Is': Soviet Girls and Cosmic Visions in the Aftermath of Tereshkova; R.Sylvester Constructing Cosmic Enthusiasm: A Case Study of the Krasnodar Territory; A.Eremeeva Propaganda and Cultural History of Cosmonautics: The Example of Regional Public Organizations; V.Sadym PART III: PERFORMING SPACE IN WORLD POLITICS: COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIALITY Introduction: Performing Space in World Politics: Communications and Mediality; M.Rüthers Sputnik Goes to Brussels: The Exhibition of a Soviet Technological Wonder; L.Siegelbaum Soviet Cosmonauts and American Astronauts in Yugoslavia - Who Did the Yugoslavs Love More?; R.Vu?etic Children and the Cosmos as Projects of the Future and Ambassadors of Soviet Leadership; M.Rüthers PART IV: SPACE IN POPULAR CULTURE Introduction: Space in Popular Culture; J.Richers & M.Rüthers A Dream Come True: Close Encounters with Outer Space in Soviet Popular Scientific Journals of the 1950's and 60's; M.Schwartz Space Exploration in Russian and Western Popular Culture: Wishful Thinking, Conspiracy Theories and other Related Issues; A.Rogatchevski Two Images of a Spaceman in Estonian Art: The Missing Myth of a Hero and the Fable of Failure; A.Porri Epilogue: End of Utopia, Start of Nostalgia From 'Cosmic Enthusiasm' to 'Nostalgia for the Future': A Tale of Soviet Space Culture; A.Siddiqi Appendix
