Some words on the process (7 minute read)

A literature review to capture the process, thinking and inspiration behind this project.

Review of ‘Design of the space station habitat modules’ (2002) by Gary H. Kitmacher

In this paper we learn about the origins of the space station project, a notion that began in science fiction as early as 1869 with ‘The Brick Moon’ by Edward Everett Hale. Kitmacher describes at length the research and development process in the decades that followed the Apollo program, leading to the International Space Station (ISS), conceived in the late 1980s. Incredibly thorough documentation was drawn up during this time, a ground-up approach to understanding the technical realities of space habitation, using information and feedback gleaned from experimental orbital platforms, namely Skylab and the Space Shuttle. Kitmacher provides a view into the design of the ISS, covering the key concepts and technical challenges of the supporting truss, ‘habitable’ modules and famous ‘cupola’ windows. To name a group of themes that seem apparent in the details discussed here, the author chose the following headings, the latter of particular importance:

1_Perspectives and orientation 2_Protective Strategies 3_Co-dependancy

4_Design process & lineage

In his descriptions of ISS module and cupola designs, Kitmacher uses analogy to relate designed earthbound objects to the ISS architecture. Kitmacher talks about the ‘windowed workstations’ later renamed the ‘Cupola’: 'The name ‘windowed workstation’ proved cumbersome and once the idea appeared to be finally sold, the small module with the windows was named the 'Cupola', after the elevated and windowed section of a railroad caboose'. This association speaks more specifically to the North American experience and the lineages of 20th Century high speed transport. The idea of lineages plays an important part in the framing of this ‘Growing Cultures’ project, which I will return to later.

5_’The Molecular’

This concept is capable of describing things both small and large, microscopic and macro – it seems apt to relate a system or structure of units that closely relate to one another. Kitmacher describes the module as an ‘element’, a term which in ancient Greek (stoicheia) can broadly mean ‘building blocks’. The design of the ISS modules was strongly geared towards configurability, albeit with fewer changes needed being advantageous. The author was tempted here to use analogy and liken the giant truss of the ISS to the sugar phosphate backbone of DNA, supporting modules with names like Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine; the sequence components that describe genes.

Review of ‘Experiments in plant hybridization’ (1865) by Gregor Mendel

The seminal paper by the ‘father of genetics’ is celebrated for being ‘ahead of its time’ and is used to teach schoolchildren how to practice applications of scientific method. Mendel’s dedication to his experiments should inspire awe in any reader. Mendel is a scientist with large reserves of time and the necessary ambition to make his experiments comprehensive and seemingly foolproof.

We follow a species of Pea (pisum) through several generations, as they become hybrid forms, picking up on how their characteristics continue to endeavour, change or rescind into the background. Mendel introduces numerous theories such as development series which are expressed as ratios, gleaned from close observation and supported by substantive statistical data. Mendel’s experiment-based approach to science uses the results to theorize about possible truths, suggesting evidence through analysis, to explain phenomena which may not be directly observable.

Mendel is in the business of seeking natural laws, and uses logical argument to make a ‘leap of the imagination’ – perhaps at times lacking conclusive evidence, but nonetheless paving the way for the future of science.

Review of ‘Is Science Necessary?’ (1991) by Max Perutz

Max Perutz writes on the question of science at the turning of the century, bringing to light the apparently unseen achievements of science which established, make possible and sustain the world we live in today. Of notable significance, improvements in medicine, agriculture and energy production rest on the discoveries and innovation of science in the fields of molecular biology and biochemistry.

Perutz explains how the discovery of the genome by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953 combined with application of genetic engineering to crops like wheat and rice has lifted large populations of the world out of food poverty, with vastly greater yields. The dangers that lie ahead are characterised by swelling populations dependant on ever diminishing fossil fuel resources, that threaten environmental breakdown. In the field of energy Perutz is an advocate for increased use and better management of Nuclear Energy. He believes that scepticism of science and scaremongering are holding us back from certain options which we will eventually have to take, to keep society going at its current pace.

At the time of publication (1991), Perutz is a molecular biologist in the later years of his life (he endured WW2), speaking in an age where the alarm bells of climate change can be heard approaching, albeit from a greater distance. He is passionate about the wonder of scientific experimentation and the often-ridiculous circumstances that produce some of the most profound discoveries. His own review of ‘‘Alexander Fleming: The man and the myth’ (by Gwyn Macfarlane) draws attention to the discovery of Penicillin; which [Macfarlane] recalls as an ‘accident’ and ‘a whole series of apparently unrelated events’. This book seems to elucidate the ethereal open-endedness that any scientific proposition must adopt to be progressive; the sense that the past can be a doorway into the future; a heady mix of romance and sober resolve.

Some words on the project

At the inception of this project, our initial interest in the International Space Station (ISS) as an experimental science platform and growing environment inspired our research into the overlapping topics of plant biology and industrialised culture on the brink of science fiction. The space environment, as an extension of earth culture is made possible by industrialization and is therefore connected to growing cultures. In this realm and as old as time immemorial, the humble postage stamp was identified as a symbol of transfer, the transfer of ideas across cultures and over great distances travelled, a symbol of internationalism which is key for scientific progress in the globalised era.

‘Growing cultures’ is a vision for a future where a green revolution has overhauled global culture, regenerating the planet and giving rise to programmable plant structures which can be deployed to outer space, aided by technologies such as biocomputing, artificial intelligence and 3D printing. The achievements of such a culture provide unique opportunities for energy production, habitat creation and seeding life elsewhere in the solar system. In the future highly intelligent and resilient plant species will be developed on earth with advances in genetic engineering and then later grown in the outer space environment. A growing platform in space will serve as an experimental laboratory where entire plant infrastructures can be grown and adapted in the space environment for use in space missions.

Some words on the visuals

‘Growing cultures’ is presented as a science-info wall chart issued by ‘The Global Postal Service’ to promote a new line of postage stamps celebrating scientific progress and ‘The Martian New Year’. The wall chart reads left to right and incorporates real and fictional scientific facts and timeline. This presentation arrives at a proposal for ‘Mendel’s Garden’ (MG), the International Space Growing Platform (ISGP), which expands on the ISS growing technologies of today, imagining a fully functioning outer space growing environment, manned by ‘human bee-ings’.