This piece was made using data from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft. The topography is the same as used in The Book of Moon, though with fewer layers. The text on the pages is original source code for the Apollo 11 guidance computer for the command and lunar modules. The code was written by NASA computer scientist Margaret Hamilton in 1969. It was during this project that she invented the term “software engineering” to describe the process of writing code.

I’ve been playing with different color schemes on this piece for a while. The newest iteration is black and white. I really like how it came out, and it’s fitting for the muted colors of the lunar landscape itself. I think it’s here to stay. Three different versions are pictured below.

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(Production time for this piece may be up to 6 months due to recent interest, but get in touch if you’re interested. Custom color schemes also available.)

pink & teal – custom color scheme for a friend

yellow & red/pink – original color scheme I tried out

(This yellow and pink piece is a prototype of the final version, and is currently listed in my Etsy shop. It has fewer layers than the final product, and if you look closely you will notice the distribution of text and color is a little different.)