First Cat Video Streamed from Space
NASA Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) asked our team to make their test video, and we produced a viral sensation starring Taters, an orange tabby cat. The video made history when it was streamed from space 19 million miles away, faster than U.S. broadband internet.
︎ Reached Earth on Dec 2023 in 101 seconds at 267 Mbps (More info︎︎︎)
Role: Designer, Researcher, Producer
Skills: Research and Concept, Graphic Design, Motion Design, Media Strategy
Collaborators: DSOC Team, DesignLab Studio (Joby Harris, Dan Goods), Tyler Smyth (music)
Duration: 5 weeks
Skills: Research and Concept, Graphic Design, Motion Design, Media Strategy
Collaborators: DSOC Team, DesignLab Studio (Joby Harris, Dan Goods), Tyler Smyth (music)
Duration: 5 weeks
Impact
Major news outlets covered the feat on a global scale, exceeding sharing benchmarks by 740% and inspiring public discourse about this technological feat. The mission is recognized as one of TIME’s Best Inventions.
The video validated streaming technology across the cosmos. It also went viral, reaching 451M people in four days and topping Google search results for “cat.”
Major news outlets covered the feat on a global scale, exceeding sharing benchmarks by 740% and inspiring public discourse about this technological feat. The mission is recognized as one of TIME’s Best Inventions.
Approach
DSOC’s success was an indisputable aerospace milestone, but most of the world wouldn’t know (or care). Thus, designing DSOC’s test video was a balancing act betwen functionality and mass (and specifically, internet) appeal. I conducted interviews with project technologists, synthesized findings into mission-specific overlay motion graphics, facilitated expert reviews for accuracy, and steered clear of motifs that might introduce ambiguities in interpretation. The video evolved from a test into a historic moment in popular culture that made an inaccessible subject digestible for all.
DSOC’s success was an indisputable aerospace milestone, but most of the world wouldn’t know (or care). Thus, designing DSOC’s test video was a balancing act betwen functionality and mass (and specifically, internet) appeal. I conducted interviews with project technologists, synthesized findings into mission-specific overlay motion graphics, facilitated expert reviews for accuracy, and steered clear of motifs that might introduce ambiguities in interpretation. The video evolved from a test into a historic moment in popular culture that made an inaccessible subject digestible for all.