Solaris

Harald Gsaller

Solaris

Dedication: This work is dedicated to Stanislaw Lem (Author of the novel “Solaris”, Warschau 1961) and Andrei Tarkovsky (Film version of “Solaris”, USSR 1972 — 50^th anniversary!) and Steven Soderbergh (Film version USA 2002).

Plot: When scientist/astronaut Kris Kelvin arrives at the space station orbiting the planet named Solaris, just two of the original crew (Snaut and Sartorius) are still there. They are haunted by replicas of people from their past, emanations of the mysterious ocean of Solaris.

1. GIBARIAN

“Emanations from Solaris (bird’s view)”

[Auto-Photolog entries No 802 – No 810 by (already deceased crew member) Gibarian]

“Emanations from the ocean of Solaris” while astronaut/scientist Gibarian is gliding over the ocean of the planet “Solaris” (experiencing a complex mixture of fear, anger, grief and remorse for hours??)

Research category: there is no logbook entry/there is a scanned handwritten note with pencil: “fear, grief, remorse”

Flight altitude: 16,000 feet

Research area: “Great Berton Spot” region, 22°South
Surveyed area: 320×320 miles Spectrum radiation: visible/black and white negative film; digitally colored from memory by GIB?

2. SARTORIUS

“Emanations from Solaris (front view)”

[Auto-Photolog entry No 14687—No 14693 by Sartorius]

“Vertical emanations from the ocean of Solaris” while astronaut/scientist Sartorius is gliding over the ocean of the planet “Solaris”.
Research category: there is no logbook entry
Research area: no log entry

Flight altitude: 200—300 feet?

Dimensions of the vertical emanation: ??

Surveyed area: no log entry Spectrum radiation: no log entry

3. SNAUT

“Emanations from Solaris (bird’s view)”

[Auto-Photolog entry No 66222—No 66234 by Snaut]

“Emanations from the ocean of Solaris” while astronaut/ cybernetician Snaut is gliding over the ocean of the planet “Solaris” trying to avoid any thinking or feeling for several periods of 12 seconds.
Research category: Mindlessness/thinking

Research area: Equatorial region

Flight altitude: 8,500 feet

Surveyed area: 90×90 miles [1^st image]

Spectrum radiation: 60–980 nm

4. KELVIN

“Emanations from Solaris (front view)”

[Auto-Photolog entry No 122687—No 122697 and No 123012 (snapshot*) by Kris Kelvin]

Vertical emanations from the ocean of Solaris while astronaut/ psychologist Kris Kevin is gliding over the ocean of Solaris remembering his first summer in Siberia together with his then wife Harey.

Research category: thinking/remembering

Research area: “Great Berton Spot” region, 22° South
Height of flight: 300 feet – 22,000 feet

Dimensions of vertical emanations: about 200×200 miles [1^st image]

Spectrum radiation: 240–680 nm

*Snapshot: „Black Oblong Agglomeration“ following the glider as it returns to the Solaris orbital station.

F I N E