2021
Feynman
Artwork details
Name:
Feynman
Year:
2021
Medium:
Laser etching on aluminum spacecraft panel
Dimensions:
+- 20 x 30 cm
Status:
In space
Space Mission details
Mission:
Transporter-2 Rideshare
Launch date:
June 30, 2021
Launch Location:
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Launch Provider:
SpaceX
Destination:
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Spacecraft:
PACE-1 6U Cubesat
Owner:
NASA
COSPAR id:
2021-059AG
Satellite purpose:
NASA’s Payload Accelerator for CubeSat Endeavors, or PACE, initiative is finding ways to speed up the process of getting small spacecraft technologies ready for prime time. PACE’s goal is to mature technology payloads, from early-stage proof-of-concept models to flight qualification for an operational space mission, all while shortening technology testing timelines.
Artwork:
Feynman
In homage to one of science’s most playful minds, this artwork - laser‑etched on the aluminium skin of the PACE‑1 Cubesat - transforms Feynman diagrams into cosmic expressionism. Drawing inspiration from Richard Feynman’s iconic visual language, Arno collaborated with NASA’s tech team to inscribe stylized quantum particle interactions directly onto the spacecraft’s outer emissivity surface. The diagrams do more than decorate; they echo the mission itself by visualizing invisible sub‑atomic processes - radiation, scattering, interaction - that the satellite will experience in orbit. This juxtaposition of high‑function engineering and creativity recalls historical artefacts - like illuminated manuscripts - where utility and artistry coexist . The result is a poetic bridge between the infinitesimal world of quantum mechanics and the infinite vastness of space.
© 2013–2025
Created by Arno, curated by Space.