Psyche Inspired: Garrett Marshall Wolff

Institution: University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Major: Physics

Psyche Inspired Class: 2021-2022

Reflections on Psyche Inspired

Reflections on Project 1: how big is 16 psyche

How Big is 16 Psyche?

Garrett Marshall Wolff

June 6, 2022

Major: Physics

Genre/Medium: Infographic/Digital/Illustrator and Photoshop

About the work: This project is meant to give a more vivid idea of how large the (16) Psyche asteroid is in comparison to things people actually have experience with. Although size comparisons on larger scales are useful, it can be difficult to grasp the size of something extremely large when comparing it to something else extremely large. However, we also had to ensure we didn’t spread a misconception that the asteroid was going to hit Earth. So, although a view of the asteroid in a perspective from Earth was exciting, it was also terrifying. For this route, we decided to use the view of New York City and Hawaii from space, images that people are familiar with and can potentially relate to real-life experiences of seeing them from planes. The mass and density of the asteroid were also helpful in providing a more physical connection. Finally, adding in a portion that shows how we know the size of Psyche was included to help it feel more real and concrete.

Reflections on Project 2: the spacecraft’s journey to a metal world

The Spacecraft’s Journey to a Metal World

Garrett Marshall Wolff

March 23, 2022

Major: Physics

Genre/Medium: 3D Animation

About the work: It is easy to become so focused on the destination that we forget what it takes to get there. The Psyche spacecraft will have to travel for years before revealing the metal world’s secrets, but this will be more than a long trip through the emptiness of space. The spacecraft and the team that built it will be busy making sure everything goes correctly, including a gravity assist around Mars, as well as preparing for all the data they will obtain once it arrives. The hope was to provide an accessible (and colorful) view of the spacecraft’s path through space and show the excitement of a Mars gravity assist and the final approach to the asteroid. The gravity assist, although simplified, was actually modelled after the Mars Express’s time lapse (“Looking at the Limb of Mars with UMC”) for a more realistic sense of what the maneuver entails. Although sped up a great deal, I hope this animation provides some idea of the amount of work a NASA mission takes to plan and of the great distance and time the spacecraft will travel on its journey to (16) Psyche.

Reflections on PROJECT 3: A Traveler’s Guide to 16 Psyche

A Traveler’s Guide to 16 Psyche

Garrett Marshall Wolff

August 3, 2022

Major: Physics

Genre/Medium: Illustrated Book, Procreate, Photoshop

About the work: This is a short illustrated book titled A Traveler’s Guide to 16 Psyche (downloadable PDF), meant to provoke interest and provide information about the mission. I focused on creating visually appealing illustrations that are more decorative than informative to help make the subject more interesting and lead the audience to read the paragraphs. The illustrations are also meant to provide a layered 3D effect for the associated augmented reality experiences that will be made for each of the pages.

Reflections on Project 4: psyche orbital data viewer

Psyche Orbital Data Viewer

Garrett Marshall Wolff

May 23, 2022

Major: Physics

Genre/Medium: Website

About the work: This website is meant to visualize the kinds of data we hope to obtain from the Psyche spacecraft once it arrives using 3D models of how the asteroid may look. Assuming all goes well, we hope to provide actual data from the Psyche mission, but for now we decided to go with more artistic renditions to make the experience compelling and encourage more interest in the mission.

Psyche Inspired

Learn more about the Psyche Inspired program and view other works

Psyche Inspired