Spacecraft are vehicles used to transport people and materials into outer space. Launched by rockets, these craft can travel to distant corners of our solar system.
NASA’s Psyche mission will explore these mysteries by visiting an asteroid known as Psyche that is thought to contain material from early solar system formation.
Origins
Artists have long been integral in shaping the look of spacecraft. Since its first manned flights, their work has had an enormous influence – from early concept designs for space stations to Norman Rockwell’s iconic painting “Man in Space”.
NASA hired artists into its art program three years prior to its establishment. Their contributions helped astronauts visualize their voyage to the Moon, and later were featured in educational films and children’s books.
One of the earliest spacecraft concepts depicts cramped conditions inside an Apollo capsule, depicting astronauts with only a thin wall between their cockpit and the cold vacuum outside. By 1972, however, artist’s concept designs of a more spacious shuttle could be seen here (click here for high-resolution version). Artists also created depictions of future lunar bases or exploration missions.
Functions
Engineers begin by sketching each part individually. Once all ideas have been taken into consideration, a larger drawing of what they plan to build can then be created and evaluated for its functionality. This type of prototype drawing is often called an engineering design sketch.
For instance, the Psyche spacecraft was developed to visit an asteroid known as Psyche that orbits between Mars and Jupiter and to study its structure to learn whether it may have formed part of our solar system during formation.
Psyche spacecraft was specifically designed to protect its electronic components from Single Event Upsets (SEUs), caused by radiation exposure. SEUs can occur on any circuit board within its vicinity and the team at Psyche used computer models to estimate SEU rates within each component and apply mitigation techniques during design phase.
Design
Spacecraft design is the application of systems engineering principles in order to craft complex vehicles for travel, exploration and operation in outer space. The result of this process is detailed specifications and plans for spacecraft systems – the blueprints for manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing to ensure they fulfill mission objectives and requirements.
Spacecraft designers face additional difficulties when constructing vehicles for long distance flight; radiation can have harmful effects, particularly Single Event Upsets (SEUs) that occur in electronic components. Although SEU rates can be estimated for each component type and managed with shielding or memory scrubbing techniques, engineers often discover that even their best designs don’t match up to artist concepts of what was planned in advance.
Materials
Your spaceship’s propulsion system – from powerful rocket engines to an innovative ion drive – is what propels it. Showcase your imagination by including this component in your drawing of an interstellar vessel! Adding this detail shows off creativity while giving an idea of its potential in exploring space.
Finally, add colors. This step can bring your spaceship to life; choose a palette that reflects your vision for its design – sleek and futuristic, or rustic and weathered?
Once your spaceship drawing is finished, share it on social media! Doing this is an ideal way to demonstrate your talents while inspiring other artists to learn how to draw spaceships themselves – plus it can be quite exciting seeing how different artists interpret what other have created!
Applications
Spacecraft drawing serves multiple functions. It can help astronauts plan and design trajectories to other planets, celestial bodies, asteroids or near-Earth objects (NEO). Furthermore, mission control rooms use it to monitor space debris. Furthermore, animations for presentations on astronomy or space exploration may even be created using this form of art.
This activity can also be used in a classroom to educate children about rockets. Kids can learn to draw a rocket’s body tube, nose cone, exhaust flames, window and fins using this activity. Stepwise instructions provided make this easier for kids to understand and replicate each part of a rocket which improves creativity, visualization and imagination skills in kids.
The Psyche spacecraft was created to study an asteroid called Psyche, thought to have come into existence early during Solar System formation. Powered by solar arrays, its cross-shaped wings enable it to operate even millions of miles from home.