Entry No. 42 — the Wichita file — filed under: public-art
The Celestial Mechanic (buried spaceman sculpture, WSU campus)
Buried in a Kansas pasture for years to rust convincingly, then installed half-excavated under a glass dome on the WSU campus, Randy Regier's 2018 sculpture depicts a fictional fallen astronaut assembled from a 1951 Kelvinator refrigerator torso, a jukebox selector helmet, an airplane nose cone pelvis, and chrome cookware limbs sourced from thrift stores. The dome can be lifted, and in September 2024 Regier literally opened it on-site to walk visitors through his process — the piece is still out there, still dirty, still glinting under glass. WSU's own "15 little-known facts" listicle warns it's easy to miss, which is exactly what makes finding it feel like a secret handshake.
The move: Walk the WSU campus to the south side of Ahlberg Hall and crouch down to peer through the dome at the rust-patinaed spaceman, then see how long it takes your date to spot the small dove riveted into his orange belly — Regier hid it there as a quiet nod to his Mennonite faith.
📍 Before you go This is free, open-air public art on Wichita State's active campus, so there's no ticket or gate to worry about — you can simply walk up to it. Aim for the green space on the south side of Ahlberg Hall, near the Geology Building, and come in daylight so you can actually see the detail through the glass. WSU visitor parking is metered or permitted on weekdays, but the rules tend to ease on evenings and weekends; check the current campus parking guidance. The piece belongs to the Ulrich Museum of Art's outdoor sculpture collection, which scatters dozens of works across campus — grab the Ulrich's sculpture map and make a longer art walk of it.
- 📍 Wichita
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1845 Fairmount St, Wichita, KS 67260 (south of Ahlberg Hall, near the Geology Building)
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: news.wichita.edu · wichita.edu · anabaptistworld.org
last checked: 2026-06-09