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Satellites Sing in Aluminum Sea Shell

The Orbit Pavilion is a unique aluminum structure that reflects the trajectory of satellites orbiting the Earth. When NASA presented Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang of Brooklyn, New Yortk, architecture studio StudioKCA with the challenge, the architects were inspired by the experience of placing a shell next to your ear and “listening to the ocean,” constructing an oversized metal nautilus shell with an immersive soundtrack.

The 30-ft-diameter structure of the pavilion is composed of 3,500 sq ft of water-jet-cut aluminum panels, which are bolted to a curved aluminum tube framework measuring 1,300 ft in length. Each of the 72 aluminum panels is inscribed with surface perforations that echo the orbital path of the satellites. The wall perforations also mitigate exterior noise and prevent the soundtrack from becoming garbled, as well as decreasing wind loads on the relatively light structure.

Schematic of the pavilion by studioKCA.
Schematic of the pavilion by StudioKCA.

It’s a simple design allows access to the interior by a curved corridor that forms part of the shell. Inside, there is a large oculus at the center of the sound chamber, where a 28-channel audio setup is programed to output an electronic soundtrack that reflects the trajectory of satellites in space.

During a five-minute presentation, a network of speakers within the pavilion create a movement of calming sounds gliding from one end of the dome to the other, which correspond to the International Space Station and a suite of 19 NASA Earth satellites circling the globe. Satellites don’t actually make any noise, because sound can’t travel in space. However, the idea to use sound rather than images to simulate orbital movement provides an alternative way of thinking about satellites, imparting each anonymous piece of equipment with a unique personality.

Orbit Pavilion at night while speakers are being fine tuned. (Photo: studioKCA.)
Orbit Pavilion at night while speakers are being fine tuned. (Photo: StudioKCA.)

“NASA uses a fleet of satellites to observe Earth — its weather patterns, atmosphere, sea levels and ocean currents, winds and storm warnings, and freshwater resources,” said artist and composer Shane Myrbeck, who composed the sounds used in the project. “The soundscape changes as the satellites move, enabling us to hear them in real time as their orbits bring them into range hundreds of miles above our heads.”

Myrbeck added, “The piece uses actual satellite tracking data provided by NASA to determine the orbital location of the sound representing each satellite. The positional data is updated in real time to translate a spacecraft’s orbit to a sound trajectory on the 28-channel hemispherical loudspeaker array.”

The Orbit Pavilion debuted at the World Science Festival. Currently, the pavilion is being housed at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. This summer, it will be transferred to the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, where visitors will be able to experience the soundscape.

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