NASA’s Art Contest Reveals How Kids See the Future
NASA’s Langley Research Center asked students from Virginia to participate in an art contest
![NASA Art 1](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/WV7M2gowZzsrqrVlc2ibd6dY3eU=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/1b/b4/1bb49e7b-9a77-461d-a948-e8f347267b55/14170843814_16b2518974_o.jpg)
NASA’s Langley Research Center asked kids from the Hampton Rhodes area of Virginia to create art in keeping with the theme “The Future is Now.” The results are wonderful.
From Gizmodo:
Much like the drawings and written predictions of American kids from earlier generations, there is a healthy mix of both optimism and pessimism. Optimism, it would seem, that we will one day conquer the stars in a way that our grandparents had only dreamed. Pessimism, in a way that can only be communicated with a handful of arctic animals surrounded by melting ice and an oppressive sun rising behind them.
Like all kids artwork, the masterpieces ranged from funny to beautiful to profound, with a dash of what-exactly-is-that-supposed-to-be thrown in for good measure. Here are some of our favorites, but you can see them all on NASA Langley’s Flickr page.
![Zachary Ching, 4th Grade](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/NIU-UMmfm5dCV2gr0ATtwBgdhr4=/fit-in/1072x0/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/cms_page_media/2014/5/22/14167340001_7d67128ebd_b.jpg)
![Logan McConnell, 5th Grade- 1st Place](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/WFGO7Ay81ymQ9VL_qKcNWluCejI=/fit-in/1072x0/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/cms_page_media/2014/5/22/14170696524_6acb1f6481_b.jpg)
![Lauren Young, 5th Grade](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/_IEohPJ-tpmFq6tGuKll59lj56s=/fit-in/1072x0/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/cms_page_media/2014/5/22/14170642555_b37304d2bb_b.jpg)
![Desirae Sievers, 6th Grade- 1st Place](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/PBK_CTCD1LoPCVOop7WLBX4IIoc=/fit-in/1072x0/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/cms_page_media/2014/5/22/13984005347_1d849640c2_b.jpg)