Early in the pandemic period, articles began to appear, giving voice to astronauts with invaluable advice to share on the particulars and peculiarities of living in isolation. Further reflection on this area during our discussion of the challenge topic, we were struck by the sudden similarities we found between our own isolation and that of astronauts.

Thusly we created a short animation through which we depict how our lives on Earth have never been more in-sync with the daily routines of astronauts. We begin our journey on the space station, with our astronaut looking forward to group activities on Earth once their isolation in space has ended. Back on Earth, our civilian character too has grown accustomed to living in isolation during the period of global lockdown, but is also looking forward to group activities too.

We have aimed to mirror the two lives, now showing more similarities than ever, and highlight how technology has been the key to keeping everyone connected, no matter how far away we are. Through video calls, online gaming, and social networks we have found ways to continue group activities, whether on Earth or on the International Space Station. Our lives may look different now, and there will be a period of adaptation needed when we do get ‘back to normal’, but much like going to space, we will likely be changed by the experience.

For years NASA has been ahead of earthly research and insights into living in isolation, contributing vastly to collective understanding of human behaviour (NASA Human Behaviour Program) and highlighting the risk factors surrounding isolated senior citizens. In the time of greatest need of the last decade, NASA has been prepped and ready, to provide us with the assistance we never knew we would need. In alignment with its more renowned technologies, NASA has not sat on its haunches when it comes to sharing this information either, utilising platforms such as The New York Times and the BBC to publish their expertise has ensured a wide audience base and gotten their message onto people’s social media feeds. Branching into the podcast world, another audience base has opened up, and another form of technology has been employed in achieving it. NASA has kept up to date with how best to reach its audience far better than a lot of corporate brands, and certainly more effectively than any other branch of government.

We wanted to carry on the sense of authenticity we and many others experience when encountering NASA and it’s work. During this lockdown our team has had the chance to learn and read deeper into the history of space technology, and so we included notes within the artwork that comment briefly on what we have been exploring amongst ourselves. One such example is the Mercury 13 poster displayed on a bedroom wall within the animation.