Astronaut Space Selfies: Soft Polluter or Marvelous Messenger?

Abstract

This article uses a philosophical hermeneutic perspective to present a reading of selected astronaut space selfies by drawing on ideas of Michel Serres, Paul Virilio, Hannah Arendt, Bonnie Mann, Joanna Zylinska, Nicholas Mirzoeff, and W. J. T. Mitchell. The image of the astronaut is unpacked as a visual apocalyptic trope that embodies collective dreams of going beyond Earth in post-Earth projections. Michel Serres distinguished between two regimes of pollution, namely “hard pollution” and “soft pollution.” The author uses Serres's distinction between hard and soft pollution to investigate the image of the astronaut as an agent of post-Earth dreams. The essay asks: Are space selfies potential soft pollution in Michel Serres's terms? The conclusion drawn after considering evidence of space travel on human physiology and psychology is that although astronauts may be “marvelous messengers,” their images mostly act as soft pollution that positions viewers in a particular way toward Earth.