The first work of art in space — the ‘Laugh Star’ — will be a 3D printed model of recorded laughter at the International Space Station.

One small step towards colonizing space is not only bringing people, shelter and food together, but also culture. And what’s more reflective of our culture than laughter?

NASA reached out to Israeli contemporary artist Eyal Gever to design a zero-gravity, 3D printable art project. His ambitious plan is to record and share laughter in the cold, lifeless void of space.

How? A unique chuckle is saved as a file then mapped out as a 3D model, or ‘Laugh Star.’ And the public is invited to participate by downloading the #Laugh app. Just record your laughter and submit your own unique sound.

The public can vote on their favorite recording, and Gever will create the winning design in January 2017. Next, one of the crew of the International Space Station will print the artwork in February.

Watch the Creators Project video below for an in-depth look at Gever’s work:

Inspiration behind the Laugh Star Artwork

“The earliest cave paintings were of human hands, which were a way of proclaiming and celebrating the presence of humanity,” explains Gever on his website. 

“Laugh will be the 21st-century version of a hand painting – a mathematically-accurate encapsulation of laughter, the most universal and human response, simply floating through space, waiting to be discovered.”

So how will it work? First, Gever uses the laugh file to create a sculpture. Then, he sends the file from his Tel Aviv studio to the NASA Operations Support Centre in Huntsville, Alabama. Finally, they send the file to the Made in Space AMF printer on the ISS by satellite.

If the Laugh Stars are released into orbit, who knows who will find them in the distant future? Hopefully, extraterrestrials won’t be too alarmed by the hysterical cackling they represent.

On a more serious note, however, some folks in the science community have raised doubts about the wisdom of releasing yet more junk into the upper atmosphere.

Source: Seeker