It feels like it's been Halloween for weeks, but (fun fact here) it's actually only Halloween today. So although you may be suffering from spooky-fatigue, you've got one last chance to enjoy the season. You could put up some decorations, buy some sweets for trick-or-treaters, and maybe even carve a pumpkin or two. And if you're looking for inspiration, we have just the thing: the annual pumpkin-carving competition at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.
Now, pumpkin carving isn't exactly rocket science, so it's no surprise that NASA's finest have managed to produce some extraordinary creations. According to Wired, entrants to the competition (which isn't actually judged) had just an hour to carve their gourds, with final entries including a Pac-Man pumpkin, a recreation of Darth Vader's meditation chamber, a black hole pumpkin, a carousel, and a pumpkin take on a useless machine — device which turns itself off as soon as you turn it on. They're pretty stunning.
You can check out photos from the event on the JPL Flickr page, but NASA engineer Aaron Yazzie had by far the best view in the house and tweeted videos of some of the entries:
Most Useless #NASAPumpkin pic.twitter.com/YkNbUzHQSc
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
PAC-MAN #NASAPumpkin pic.twitter.com/5BYTskeHEB
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
Ninja Starshade #NASAPumpkin (the blade is Starshade) pic.twitter.com/uiZhaWtuHN
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
Dark Side #NASAPumpkin pic.twitter.com/pYeOs4LMvN
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
Swing Carousel #NASAPumpkin pic.twitter.com/LLdVRQcLij
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
BBQ #NASAPumpkin on a hand made mini Flotron! pic.twitter.com/sR6hRebe8V
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
A "Happy 80th Birthday @NASAJPL " #NASAPumpkin with a birthday card to sign. (JPL was founded on Halloween 1936) pic.twitter.com/FrivYuGQR9
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
Mars Sample Return Pumpkin #NASAPumpkin pic.twitter.com/QEjyDsOSQg
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016
And best for last, my group's entry: Leonardo, the Mars Copter #NASAPumpkin! pic.twitter.com/3E0Mz0aC94
— Aaron Yazzie (@YazzieSays) October 27, 2016