Eternity in Low Earth Orbit

Icons on the International Space Station

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3411202
AutoresWendy Salmond (Chapman University), Justin Walsh (0000-0003-2018-2668, Chapman University), Alice Gorman (0000-0001-6086-9734, Flinders University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2020
Volumen11
Número11
Páginas611
Fecha de publicación2020-11-17
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel11110611
OpenAlexW3101845889
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas5

This paper investigates the material culture of icons on the International Space Station as part of a complex web of interactions between cosmonauts and the Russian Orthodox Church, reflecting contemporary terrestrial political and social affairs. An analysis of photographs from the International Space Station (ISS) demonstrated that a particular area of the Zvezda module is used for the display of icons, both Orthodox and secular, including the Mother of God of Kazan and Yuri Gagarin. The Orthodox icons are frequently sent to space and returned to Earth at the request of church clerics. In this process, the icons become part of an economy of belief that spans Earth and space. This practice stands in contrast to the prohibition against displaying political/religious imagery in the U.S.-controlled modules of ISS. The icons mark certain areas of ISS as bounded sacred spaces or hierotopies, separated from the limitless outer space beyond the space station walls

Aeronautics · Art · Earth's orbit · Eternity · International Space Station · Literature · Outer space · Political science · Politics · Engineering · Law · Philosophy · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Space exploration and regulation · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life · Aerospace Engineering