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Launch

Launch Date:

19 February 2022

Launch Mission:

NG-17 Cygnus resupply mission

Launch Operator:

Northrop Grumman

Rocket:

Antares 230+

Launch Vehicle:

Cygnus SS Piers Sellers

Launch Location:

Wallops Island, VA, USA

2022-015B

COSPAR id:

In Space

Host:

International Space Station

Type:

Space Station

Operator:

Multinational

Location:

Low Earth Orbit, Non-Polar Inclined

COSPAR id:

1998-067A

Return

Return Date:

11 January 2023

Return Mission:

CRS-26

Return Vehicle:

Cargo Dragon

Landing Location:

Gulf of Mexico

COSPAR id:

2022-159A

Updated:

8/7/24

status:

Returned

Mission Profile

Partners:

Jack Madden

Astrophysicist, Artist

Artist(s)

Collection

This artwork is part of a collection:

Moon Gallery

2022

hand-painted human figure on a rice grain

With this work I challenge others to think about how they fit into an indifferent Universe. Does its emptiness provide a canvas where change is possible or are we in perfect equilibrium? By hand- painting a human figure on a rice grain the viewer is confronted by the limits of their own scale to see the image and by the scale at which the human is represented in the larger Universe. Even though the figure is small and alone in a vast emptiness they are capable of standing out and creating visible change. This feeling of miniscule scale and the question of genuine impact represent a connection between astronomy and philosophy that I visualize through art as a way of reminding us of this dissonance and to eventually come to terms with it. Humans struggle with comprehending the vastness of space and this incomprehension can be unsettling. Accepting the small magnitude of our existence is an important step in forming a more comfortable relationship with scale and the Universe. Using a brush made from carbon nanotube thread and a microscope, I'm able to paint at a scale limited only by the precision of my hand movement. The figures are just barely distinguishable to the naked eye. The rice as a seed is a canvas and an element capable of profound impact in large quantities. How does it feel that the Universe contains scales at which a human, the Earth, and even the Solar System become indistinguishable?
Dimensions:

1 x 1 x 1 cm

Medium:

rice grain

Genre:

The Individual

Jack Madden

USA

2022

The Individual

2022

Returned
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