Leave it to engineers to think outside the pumpkin.
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You may not need to be a rocket scientist to carve a pumpkin, but it sure can help. Teams from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been holding an annual pumpkin-carving contest since 2011. This year contestants gathered around with their power tools and motors and were given just one hour to create the most imaginative art they could out of pumpkins.
The JPL provides instruction for the NASA pumpkin-carving methods on their website. They show you the tools you need and give you some examples to get your mind thinking outside the pumpkin. NASA also has the photos from this years contestants on Flickr.
It should be no surprise that these engineers went far beyond anything we could make at home. They made one pumpkin hover. Another one expanded and contracted in what almost looks like a slow-motion explosion (it’s a supernova!). Our favorite was the pirate ship — there’s just so much detail! We can’t imagine making that in an hour.
And today we celebrate...
