Skip to main content
Back to Show
Artbound

The First Picture of Mars was Drawn in Crayon

It’s no surprise that the first view of Mars was made by scientists at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California. But did you know that the very first image of the red planet was made with pastel crayons? As data came back from a satellite as it flew relatively near Mars, scientists translated the grayscale image data into a paint-by-number illustration.

Support Provided By
Season
Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement
Unlock with PBS Passport
57:03
The life of the visionary musician, dancer and activist Nobuko Miyamoto.
Black Art: A Brockman Gallery Legacy
56:38
Brockman Gallery was the center of a community of Black artists in L.A. from 1967-1990.
Arts & Architecture: The Case Study House Program
56:33
West Coast Modernism took hold in post-WWII with the “Case Study Houses” program.
Blended Worlds: The Fusion of Art & Science at JPL
56:59
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory transforms science into awe-inspiring creative projects.
The Cheech
57:08
Follow Cheech Marin's journey from comedy icon to Chicano art advocate.
East West Players: A Home on Stage
56:43
Chronicling the 58-year history of the longest running theatre of color in the U.S.
Angel City Press: L.A. through the Pages
55:51
Angel City Press has been shaping and influencing public understanding of LA for decades.
Artists-In-Residence
56:39
Artists-In-Residence programs provide artists opportunities to create uninterrupted work.
L.A. Rebellion: A Cinematic Movement
56:40
Following the Watts Uprising, UCLA increased film program enrollment of students of color.
América Tropical: The Martyr Mural of Siqueiros
56:43
David Alfaro Siqueiros created Olvera Street’s popular mural with an innovative technique.
Chinatown Punk Wars
56:43
Two Chinese restaurants became the unlikely epicenter of L.A.’s burgeoning punk scene.
A Rubén Ortiz-Torres Story
56:17
Rubén Ortiz-Torres explores his past and present in an uncertain socio-economic future.
Active loading indicator