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M‑LAB presents / A collectible universe

CosmicContributors

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, imagined as a collectible that carries a story.

Open the universe

A character. A package. A world to explore.

Cosmic series17Teacher prototype
Dane’s stylized Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson figure, presented above the moon-set artwork.

Original digital character № 17 / Cosmic Contributors

Teacher prototype by Dane WirtzfeldLegends of Our Timeline / 2024–25Explore the making

Beyond the box

A cosmic contributor.

Dane Wirtzfeld’s teaching prototype explores how a historical subject can become a coordinated character and packaging system. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson appears as number 17 in Cosmic Contributors: a visual example used to make the project’s design and production decisions tangible.

01 / Reconstructed from Adobe Aero

A small box. An expanding universe.

Slide the package open, meet Dr. Tyson, and explore the telescope, Saturn, and hidden spacecraft. The original objects and tap-action sequences are brought back together in an interactive web display.

Interactive archive / rebuilt for the web

The universe inside № 17

An orthographic render of the original 3D Cosmic Contributors package, showing the Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson figure and accessories.

Touch the story. Open the package.

Original sound on the Saturn interaction. No camera access.

Explore the saved package, character and original tap sequences. A browser reconstruction of the submitted Aero scene, not the original AR experience. The original Saturn sound is restored; sound starts only after you interact. Missing animation timings use web-player defaults. Reset stops sound and restores the archive’s starting arrangement.

Rebuilt from Dane’s unpacked Aero project, including its original hierarchy, artwork, tap actions, and Saturn sound clip. This is a new browser interpretation, not Adobe Aero or camera-based AR. Original Saturn audio is restored; unspecified animation timing and viewing controls are adapted for the web.

Inside the box / Objects with a purpose

Three objects.
A larger story.

Rendered from the original 3D assets. Each accessory connects a small object to a specific part of Tyson’s story—and to the design’s imagination.

A digital render of the miniature telescope accessory from the Cosmic Contributors 3D package.
Original 3D accessory / telescope

Telescope / A closer look

Tyson describes childhood telescope observations of the Moon and Saturn as part of his path into astronomy. Here, the telescope represents curiosity turned into observation—not a replica of his own instrument.

Tyson on early stargazing · AMNH
A digital render of the ringed Saturn accessory from the Cosmic Contributors 3D package.
Original 3D accessory / Saturn

Saturn / A favorite world

In his American Museum of Natural History interview, Tyson names Saturn his favorite planet. Its unmistakable rings turn that personal sense of wonder into a small, instantly recognizable part of the collectible.

Tyson on Saturn · AMNH
A digital render of the imaginative spacecraft accessory from the Cosmic Contributors 3D scene.
Hidden interactive accessory / imagined spacecraft

Spacecraft / Travel by imagination

Tyson describes the imaginative spacecraft in Cosmos as a way to tell the story. This accessory echoes that idea—not a craft he designed or piloted in real life. Tap the telescope to reveal it in the interactive scene.

Tyson on the Cosmos spacecraft · National Geographic
The original package insert: a film set on the moon, with a backdrop, studio lights, cameras, lunar terrain, and Earth above the horizon.

02 / Build the world

Small stage.
Cosmic scale.

The moon is a set. The box is a portal. The original interior artwork puts a miniature production studio on a lunar landscape—with lights, cameras, a backdrop, and a distant Earth.

Here, that same artwork escapes the package and becomes the setting for the portfolio itself.

See the original stage artwork

Original package environment / Dane Wirtzfeld

03 / The making

From paper.
To possibility.

01

01 / From layout to volume

A package, in three dimensions.

The original 3D package brings the printed panels, figure and accessories into one composition. This orthographic render makes those relationships visible without perspective distortion; the flat artwork alongside it shows the system behind the object.

Orthographic render of the original 3D Neil deGrasse Tyson package prototype.
Digital packaging render / orthographic view of the original 3D prototypeView artwork ↗
Flat Cosmic Contributors packaging artwork for Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, number 17.
Packaging artwork / the flat system behind the objectView artwork ↗
02

02 / Showing the design decisions

The prototype is a teaching tool.

Character imagery and a layout guide expose the decisions behind the presentation. Students can see how a research subject becomes a recognizable visual character, and how separate panels must work together as one package.

A stylized Neil deGrasse Tyson character concept from the teacher’s project assets.
Character concept / a visual development artifactView artwork ↗
Dane Wirtzfeld’s instructional package layout guide.
Teacher-created layout guide / making the construction logic visibleView artwork ↗
Inspect the individual archived models

Inspect the digital character.

Rotate the archived model to see the character as a three-dimensional design artifact. The digital model and the paper package document distinct parts of the teaching prototype.

Archived model preview

Cosmic Contributors / archived 3D models

An orthographic render of the original 3D Cosmic Contributors package, showing the Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson figure and accessories.

Opens on request; no sound or camera access. This is a saved 3D asset, not the original Adobe Aero experience.

An orthographic render of the original 3D Cosmic Contributors package, showing the Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson figure and accessories.
Digital packaging render / orthographic view of the original 3D package prototype

Made to make you curious

Teacher-created example by Dane Wirtzfeld, curated from the M-LAB P114 Legends of Our Timeline project archive. Packaging and accessory renders are made from the original 3D assets; the page also shows flat artwork and an instructional guide. This teaching project includes physical paper prototyping, but these product images are digital renders. An educational interpretation, not an official licensed product.