Only when society becomes fully aware of the importance of space activities to their lives and to their future, will the hopes and dreams of humanity have a chance to become a reality. The in situ artistic exploration of outer space can contribute to increasing this awareness through the creation of new mediums and novel forms of communication. In fact, a controversial orbital artwork which could be witnessed by most of the world's population could be the fastest, cheapest and most efficent way to get the discussion about the contribution of space to the futrure of humanity on the aenda of the world's leasers and in the minds of the publkc. This paper examines the above issues in light of the author's experiences gained within the space community, the art world and among the general public, especially those concerning the impact of the first artwork conceived for and integrated into the human presence in Earth orbit — the author's Cosmic Dancer sculpture which was launched in May, 1993 and is currently aboard the Mir space station.