World's first pop-art satellite headed to space

LOS ANGELES - If aliens ever target Earth, Jon Gibson and Amanda White are counting on the visitors having a sense of humor and an appreciation for pop art.

The duo created a Warhollike design that has been etched into a satellite's panel, transforming the spacecraft into a replica of an oversize electrical charging device.

"If someone is going to invade our planet, presumably they're going to come in some sort of electronic, electricity-powered ship," Gibson observes. "Maybe this will make them stop for a moment and say, 'These guys are nice. We're not going to destroy their planet.' "

At the very least, it will give them an opportunity to check out what may be the world's first orbiting work of art.

Of the 1,000 or so functioning satellites circling Earth, there isn't one that Craig Clark knows of that doubles as art. The veteran satellite builder, who runs Scotland-based Clyde Space Ltd., is preparing to launch this one Oct. 29 from Kazakhstan.

In building the small satellite that will monitor atmospheric conditions and send back photos and other information from 373 miles above Earth, Clark turned to Gibson and White and their iam8bit gallery in Los Angeles.

Their previous works include such esoteric efforts as overseeing a 2010 paint-by-numbers project that had 20,000 people affixing 2-by-2-inch pixels to a wall, creating a splashy mural for a video-game conference. A film of the effort now resides in a Denver museum.

After brainstorming, Gibson and White decided to do something related to space travel. Using computer-generated imagery to make the satellite look like an electrical charger turned out to be pretty easy. Putting the design on a two-pound, shoebox-size gizmo filled with wires, sensors, solar panels, and other sensitive equipment was far more challenging.

First, it had to stand up to the wear and tear of being fired into space, then orbiting the Earth at 17,000 m.p.h. for 25 years. And it couldn't use paint, which would deteriorate and emit gas that could fog the satellite camera. So the images of computer buttons and a USB port, and the words "Greetings, Beleaguered Space Traveler. Welcome to the Universe's First Celestial Charging Station," had to be etched right onto the satellite, limiting color to the orange, black, and white of its panels.

Still, Gibson and White managed to come up with a colorful, surprisingly realistic-looking charger, with white buttons and a USB port contained on a bright-orange, meticulously detailed background.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely anybody on Earth will ever see the work once it enters orbit. It's etched onto the side of the satellite that will point heavenward, Clark said, and even if it wasn't, tracking something the size of a loaf of bread at that speed would be no easy task. "But we'll take plenty of pictures before we launch it."