cosmic dancer images

 

 

These photos of the Cosmic Dancer sculpture were taken on the Mir space station by the Russian cosmonauts Gennadi Manakov and Alexander Polischuk as part of their documentation activities. The last two photos were taken at Star City prior to the mission during a training session with a wooden model of the Cosmic Dancer.

"For the environmentalists, The Space Option is the ultimate environmental solution. For the Cornucopians, it is the technological fix that they are relying on. For the hard core space community, the obvious by-product would be the eventual exploration and settlement of the solar system. For most of humanity however, the ultimate benefit is having a realistic hope in a future with possibilities.... If our species does not soon embrace this unique opportunity with sufficient commitment, it may miss its one and only chance to do so. Humanity could soon be overwhelmed by one or more of the many challenges it now faces. The window of opportunity is closing as fast as the population is increasing.... Our future will be either a Space Age or a Stone Age."
 
Arthur Woods and Marco Bernasconi