Psyche Inspired: Noah Keime

Institution: Creighton University

Major: Biology and Studio Art

Psyche Inspired Class: 2019-2020

Reflections from Noah

Solidarity with Psyche

This drawing shows the Psyche spacecraft hurtling through the asteroid belt. The spacecraft dominates the bottom center of the piece. Asteroids take up both bottom corners. In the distance, rocky planets are seen. Their orbits are indicated by rings. The sun sits at the center of the solar system. Meanwhile, constellations are strewn throughout the piece with nebulae in colors of the Psyche Mission logo behind them.

Solidarity with Psyche

Noah Keime

October 31, 2019

Major: Biology and Studio Art

Genre/Medium: ProCreate on the iPad

About the work: This work was made using Procreate on iPad. This piece was inspired largely by the gravity assist Psyche will receive as it flies by Mars. I was amazed that people could figure out precisely when to launch the spacecraft in order to catch Mars’s gravity in such a way that it is whipped around in the exact orientation that it needs to be to reach the Psyche asteroid and enter Psyche’s orbit. The viewer looks out directly onto the Psyche spacecraft and is flanked by two asteroids in the corners of the pieces. These asteroids are intended to make one feel as though they are traveling with the satellite. The orbits of the planet in the mid-ground of the piece are shown on an axis to further indicate the difficulty of the Psyche spacecraft’s journey. The nebulae in the background are colored in hues reminiscent of the Psyche mission logo.

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Psyche In Motion

Psyche In Motion

Noah Keime

December 9, 2019

Major: Biology and Studio Art

Genre/Medium: ProCreate on the iPad

About the work: This pieces is an animation created using Procreate, and it was inspired by the Psyche Spacecraft orbiting 16 Psyche. Rather than simply depicting the movement of the satellite around the asteroid, I thought it would be interesting to transform the latter into the Psyche Mission logo. In order to do this, I rendered out an undulating mass of colors, which follow the satellite on its orbit of Psyche. The colors used in the form are those used in Psyche’s logo. As the satellite and colors move, the logo is slowly revealed. Then, as the orbit is completed, the logo is finally revealed in its entirety. In order to transition back to the asteroid, so that the animation could loop continuously, the logo implodes upon itself. I used this style of movement because I found it very visually pleasing, and I thought it nicely mirrored the colored mass that followed the spacecraft. As the logo is pulled towards the center of the canvas, the asteroid is slowly revealed, and the animation begins again.

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Behind Psyche

Behind Psyche

Noah Keime

March 3, 2020

Major: Biology and Studio Art

Genre/Medium: ProCreate on the iPad

About the work: Upon being asked what they would like to see more of in Psyche Inspired art, Psyche team members often answered, “The number and variety of people it takes to get a mission like this going.” I found this particularly inspiring, and I decided that I wanted to try and do it some justice with my piece. Though this work only shows a small number of those responsible for Psyche, it shows the range in occupation of people working on Psyche. There are far more individuals who have contributed significantly to Psyche, and unfortunately due to the style of this drawing, only a handful of the team was shown. It takes an army to do a mission like this, and hopefully “Behind Psyche” gives the viewer an idea of this reality.

The background of this piece is an amorphous collection of colors that are reminiscent of those in the Psyche logo: purple, pink, and yellow.

Depicted from left to right:
Diane Brown – Psyche Program Executive HQ
Henry Stone – Project Manager JPL
Carol Tolbert – GRC Psyche Program Manager
Lindy Elkins-Tanton – Principal Investigator ASU
Jim Bell – Deputy PI ASU
Sarah Noble – Psyche Program Scientist HQ
David Oh – Project System Engineer, JPL

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Psyche Sunrise

This piece depicts the view from the surface of the Psyche asteroid as a satellite flies overhead. The sun is seen above the horizon, casting huge shadows and powerful highlights on the surface of the asteroid. At the top of the poster the word “PSCYHE” is written in bold letters, and at the bottom “A METAL WORLD” is written in similar text. The sky is pale blue and the asteroid is depicted in shades of yellow.

Psyche Sunrise

Noah Keime

April 7, 2020

Major: Biology and Studio Art

Genre/Medium: ProCreate

About the work: Take a look at what it would be like to watch a beautiful “sunrise” on (16) Psyche as you catch a glimpse of a satellite flying above you. Watch as the sunlight reflects beautifully off the likely largely iron-nickel surface of the asteroid, casting beautiful shadows and luminous highlights across the surface. This piece was inspired by, and meant to be reminiscent of, a poster from the 1940s. It has a relatively limited color scheme and assertive wording to drive home its message. I wanted it to feel like this is something you could have seen on the window of a shop in the past. The viewer is supposed to feel as though they are sitting somewhere on Psyche, at a moment when the Psyche satellite is hurtling through space overhead. Because Psyche is an asteroid, and therefore has no atmosphere, I thought it would be particularly cool to see the view just as the Sun was peeking over the horizon. All of these aspects are meant to make viewers feel as though they are a part of the Psyche satellite’s journey and are watching it complete its final orbits of the asteroid.

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