Tristan Eaton's Art Heads to Space with SpaceX

SpaceX's Crew Dragon mission, originally scheduled for May 27, 2020 but delayed to May 30 due to weather, marks the first return of US astronauts to orbit since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011 and the first crewed launch by a private company. NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken will travel from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon. Accompanying them are artworks by Los Angeles street artist Tristan Eaton: a series of indestructible metal plaques titled 'Human Kind' that narrate human history and progress. The plaques, made of gold, brass, and aluminum, are painted on both sides with imagery including a chimpanzee and baby, a Saturn V rocket launch, nuclear fission, a hand and dove, water lilies, a nautilus shell, the peace symbol, the American flag, and the Crew Dragon capsule. Binary code spells 'Human' and 'Small steps lead to giant leaps' on one side, with the names of rainbow colors on the other. Eaton stated on Instagram that SpaceX asked him to create inspiring works for the astronauts, reflecting on humanity's achievements and future potential. The art is expected to return to Earth after three months.