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Posted On: August 27th 2026, 08:18 pm
Triad of Aerodynamic Simulation |
Where does aerospace engineering meet fine art?
Our upcoming talk with acclaimed artist and designer Peter Gutkin and art historian Ted Barrow at Modernism Gallery delves into Apollo-era NASA Ames design, providing an exclusive look into its functional design and structural aesthetics.
During the 1960s preparations for the lunar missions, engineers at NASA Ames Research Center pioneered the field of aerothermodynamics and the blunt-body concept. Because early spacecraft had to survive extreme friction during atmospheric reentry, their structural aesthetics were strictly dictated by functional physics. Ames utilized extensive wind tunnel and ballistic range testing to prove that blunt, geometric shapes were the most effective way to deflect heat and maintain aerodynamic stability.
Gutkin, whose work is held in the NASA Ames Research Center collection, utilizes these minimal, highly specific spaceflight geometries in his practice.
Join us this fall as we examine how the strict engineering requirements of early space exploration inform sculptural geometry.
Where does aerospace engineering meet fine art?
Our upcoming talk with acclaimed artist and designer Peter Gutkin and art historian Ted Barrow at Modernism Gallery delves into Apollo-era NASA Ames design, providing an exclusive look into its functional design and structural aesthetics.
During the 1960s preparations for the lunar missions, engineers at NASA Ames Research Center pioneered the field of aerothermodynamics and the blunt-body concept. Because early spacecraft had to survive extreme friction during atmospheric reentry, their structural aesthetics were strictly dictated by functional physics. Ames utilized extensive wind tunnel and ballistic range testing to prove that blunt, geometric shapes were the most effective way to deflect heat and maintain aerodynamic stability.
Gutkin, whose work is held in the NASA Ames Research Center collection, utilizes these minimal, highly specific spaceflight geometries in his practice.
Join us this fall as we examine how the strict engineering requirements of early space exploration inform sculptural geometry.
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