Small green mountains are painted and collaged at the bottom of the painting and a large antenna sits among them; above is a blue sky with clouds painted on top of a background of old book pages about various scientific topics. At the top of the painting is a collage of images of stars, which funnel down toward the antenna. On top of the stars is a protruding construction of the Psyche spacecraft.

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Sending Letters Home

JESSICA HALL

March 24th, 2025

Major: New Media Design

Genre/Medium: Collage/Acrylic painting on canvas; magazines, thrifted childrens’ books, science books, book board, tinfoil, aluminum wire, copper wire, popsicle sticks, acrylic paint

About the work:

“Sending Letters Home” is a collage that represents the carefully structured, collaborative effort of the Psyche mission, as well as the emotional experience of launching this spacecraft to an unfamiliar place and awaiting its feedback. The piece evokes feelings of nostalgia, inspiration, and hope for what’s yet to come from the Psyche mission.

There are a lot of intentional details, many of them very obscured by the painting’s multitude of layers, that are built into this collage. The base of the painting was made from pages of old science books and texts about space travel, the solar system, the Earth, and other similar scientific topics. Additional texts and images of the stars were all taken from childrens’ books about space, reflecting the childlike wonder and curiosity that inspires humanity to study space. Finally, the 3-dimensional aspect of this project represents the depth and layers behind the science and exploration of space. The concept of collage itself represents the idea that space exploration isn’t just an answer to a question, but rather a resource to supplement us with the data and ideas to further a picture that we are only beginning to understand.

View Full Project

Psyche Inspired is a program that brings undergraduate students from any discipline or major together to share the excitement, innovation, and scientific and engineering content of NASA’s Psyche mission with the public in new ways through artistic and creative works. This year’s Psyche Inspired cohort is known as the Iridium Class. These works are posted in the gallery and highlighted on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. View the full resolution images in the image gallery. There are many ways to get involved with NASA’s Psyche mission. Learn how you can be a part of the Psyche mission through our “Get Involved” pages at https://psyche.asu.edu/get-involved/ and https://science.nasa.gov/mission/psyche/ways-to-participate/. To learn more about the overall Psyche mission, visit nasa.gov/psyche or jpl.nasa.gov/missions/psyche.

Date Added: 03-24-2025
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Jessica Hall - Psyche Inspired

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