Human Art on Mars (HAM)

Proposal for the first Human Art on Mars ( HAM ) - A Drawing In The Sand on Another Planet. Since ancient times philosophers have been drawing in the sand. …

I propose that human hand is drilled on the surface of Mars via InSight’s robotic arm. A simple mark, a giant cultural step for humankind. The hand is the oldest art of humankind and a symbol of our civilization.

I grew up with Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, with Isaac Asimov’s stories, with Arthur C Clarke’s novels. I grew up with Star Wars. It's not that I believe in Star Wars but I do believe in the message of Star Wars. Star Wars inspired me to dream. It was so epic and there were so many great lessons in it.

My blueprint for dreams came from the science fiction novels I had been reading throughout my childhood and as a young adult. I wanted an epic life with adventures, possibly in space. So my first dream naturally was to become an astronaut.

Our hands are a symbol of our humanity, we create and destroy by it, and like in the Michelangelo painting and in the cave paintings of ancient - they carry the human spark, they serve our intelligence to shape matter, and make our dreams a reality.

I propose that a human hand is drilled on the surface of Mars. The hand is the oldest art of humankind and a symbol of our civilization.

On the right - Red ochre #hand stencils in the Cave of El Castillo (c.37,300 BCE). These markings are some of the earliest art of the Upper Paleolithic. Art is commonly understood as the act of making works (or artworks) which use the human creative impulse and which have meaning beyond simple description.

On the left - Proposal for Human Art on Mars ( HAM ) - A Drawing In The Sand. I propose that a human handprint is drilled on the surface of Mars by InSight’s Instrument Deployment Arm. The hand represents human culture, civilization, and the human spirit. Just like the first human step on the Lunar surface - this will be a cultural step for humankind.

Proposal for Human Art on Mars ( HAM ) - A Drawing In The Sand. I propose that a human handprint is drilled on the surface of Mars by InSight’s Instrument Deployment Arm. The hand represents human culture, civilization, and the human spirit. Just like the first human step on the Lunar surface - this will be a cultural step for humankind.

  • The Robotic Arm is already drawing in the sand. We can shape the digs to form a hand. Intent is important, it is important for law, science, and art. Time is of essence. Now is the Martian winter and we can prepare with a plan for Martian Spring.

  • Proposed site - to the side of SEIS opposite the Mole.

  • Two birds with one stone - the Robotic Arm is already digging, it could dig in a Drawing Pattern. It could do Art while it’s doing Science.

  • The coolest drawing robot! The farthest drawing robot, the first drawing robot on Mars!

  • Yes, we can make it look like a hand, if Minecraft can do it so can we.

  • Getting humankind excited about science and art.

Human Art on Mars (HAM) - Feasibility Study

The Robotic Arm is already drawing in the sand. We can shape the digs to form a hand. Intent is important, it is important for law, science, and art. Time is of essence. Now is the Martian winter and we can prepare with a plan for Martian Spring. Proposed site - to the side of SEIS opposite the Mole. Two birds with one stone - the Robotic Arm is already digging, it could dig in a Drawing Pattern. It could do Art while it’s doing Science. The coolest drawing robot! The farthest drawing robot, the first drawing robot on Mars! Yes, we can make it look like a hand, if Minecraft can do it so can we. Getting humankind excited about science and art.

The Robotic Arm is already drawing in the sand. We can shape the digs to form a hand. Intent is important, it is important for law, science, and art. Time is of essence. Now is the Martian winter and we can prepare with a plan for Martian Spring. Proposed site - to the side of SEIS opposite the Mole. Two birds with one stone - the Robotic Arm is already digging, it could dig in a Drawing Pattern. It could do Art while it’s doing Science. The coolest drawing robot! The farthest drawing robot, the first drawing robot on Mars! Yes, we can make it look like a hand, if Minecraft can do it so can we. Getting humankind excited about science and art.

A Hand In The Sand, pen and ink drawing. A small drawing to celebrate human exploration on Mars.

A Hand In The Sand, 8 x 11 inches, pen and ink on hot press board, 2021

Drawing is one of the oldest ways of expression for humankind, from cave paintings to scripts on clay tablets to hieroglyphs to the ideas of Leonardo and the drawings of skyscrapers.

Human beings have expressed ideas through drawings since the dawn of time.

In the world of ideas, everything is possible and this drawing is an expression of that possibility.

The hand is set in soil of tiny squiggles and they're even a few rocks there.

I use a technique of drawing that is one of the oldest used - it goes back to the reed pens of 400 BC.

The different types of crosshatching express natural versus man-made, or to be more precise, machine-assisted.

Entropy vs order.

NASA Doodles