Aerospace art appreciation thread

[Pipcard]

The Power Of Helios by Marrekie

"A second generation Solar Power Satellite is nearing completion in earth orbit. Only the big transmitter array was launched from Earth. The main truss segments and photovoltaic panels were manufactured in orbit, using asteroid mining materials. Technological developments and decreasing launch costs have revigorated research into this method of energy production. Organisations such as JAXA (Japan) and EADS Astrium (Europe) are currently considering 'proof of concept missions'. I would love to see this tech developed!"

 

[Evil_Onyx]

From Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

 

[Pipcard]

Now Boarding ! by kamipallet

"stewardess and SST supersonic airliner"

 

[kamaz]

How can we have an aerospace art thread without mentioning the man who literally invented the genre -- Chelsey Bonestell?

For me, the most amazing thing about Bonestell is his ability to correctly render orbital views -- back in 1940s, before any orbital photos:

Here is his view of flyover of the lunar pole:

...versus the iconic Earthrise from Kaguya:

Or take his image of aurora borealis from orbit:

...and compare with the photo from ISS:

 

[Aeadar]

How can we have an aerospace art thread without mentioning the man who literally invented the genre -- Chelsey Bonestell?

Indeed:

 

[malisle]

Some stuff I stumbled upon

 

[Pipcard]

Phoenix Station by GlennClovis

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SXT-424 by TheXHS

"The SXT-424 is a light-class TwoStrageToOrbit space access system. First stage - two reusable boosters, that can land avtomaticaly after drop. Second stage - expendable, LOX-LH2 powered. Last Stage - small reusable shuttle, that would apply for different missions.

Payload to LEO - nearly 2000 kg.

Crew - 2 man."

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Post Apollo (with no budget constraints).

These here by a different guy.

 

[wingnut]

The second pic looks like an Orion.

 

[Pipcard]

Docking Approach by Planetaryfox2180

"More art inspired by one of my voyages in Orbiter Space Flight Simulator."

 

[Aeadar]

Some more Chelsey I think;





I think I can see Brighton Beach down there!

 

[fsci123]

Moar Interstellars!!!

It's a black hole/Hawking radiation powered starship. Im not a fan of the realism or the concept of using a black hole for anything but... You know...

If one was to use a black hole for propulsion you could theoretically pump the event horizon with tons of hydrogen. The hydrogen would build up, compress, then ignite. And you could use the flow of particles and photons to provide thrust.

 

[PeterRoss]

Moar Interstellars!!!

It's a black hole/Hawking radiation powered starship. I don't really like the design of the ship or the concept of using a black hole for anything but... You know...

If one was to use a black hole for propulsion you could theoretically pump the event horizon with tons of hydrogen. The hydrogen would build up, compress, then ignite. And you could use the flow of particles and photons to provide thrust.

When I read the phrase 'black hole' the first thing coming to my mind is "MASS, GIANT MASS, HUMONGOUS MASS!!!!", and when I think about spaceship it's "AS LOW MASS AS POSSIBLE!!!" I guess there are ways of keeping a micro black hole in stable state for a reasonable time without the use of gravity, but then it's "ENERGY, GIANT ENERGY, HUMONGOUS ENERGY!!!", and if you have this big amount of energy, I think you can find better use for it than compressing matter into a micro black hole.
Of course I can be utterly wrong and it could be a brilliant and energy-saving design. It's just these voices in my head crying for mass and energy... :uhh:

 

[Pipcard]

Black holes aren't really about mass; they're about density.

 

[PeterRoss]

Black holes aren't really about mass; they're about density.

Yep. And you need some means to keep it dense. Natural black holes are stable because of gravity.

 

[kamaz]

I think I can see Brighton Beach down there!

Wow. That really is Sinus Iridum - Montes Recti - Plato region... Also, they seem to be flying to the "shore" of Oceanus Procellarum... Fun fact: in early 1980s, Krafft Ehricke proposed that the "shore" of Oceanus Procellarum would be an optimal site for the base... And I think this painting is much earlier... Life immitates art

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Speaking of Krafft (there is a site about him by the way)... the visionary and his visions:

And here is his study of NERVA (modern render) -- Deepstar, anyone?

Stolen from here

And now something totally cool. This is Krafft's lunar freighter... Built on the Moon and powered by engines running on Al powder and LOX... Lunar materials all the way...

Krafft advocated that humanity should build the lunar settlement and then the solar system colonization will follow naturaly from there... Krafft's last paper, where he wrote If God wanted man to become a spacefaring species, he would have given man a moon...

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...and this is where babies come from.
(Image by Pat Rawlings)

 

[Aeadar]

And here is his study of NERVA (modern render) -- Deepstar, anyone?

Now THAT would make a great Deepstar skin! That's beautiful.

Thanks for the links. I've bookmarked then to check out when I've more time(probably the weekend).

I'd heard references to Krafft Ehricke before but know little about him, so I'm really looking forward to checking that link.

I love that quote; If God wanted man to become a spacefaring species, he would have given man a moon...

Nowadays, I suppose, a quote like that would probably be followed with, "(pause)...oh."

 

[fsci123]

Is the second image near saturns rings?

 

[Pipcard]

I don't think Saturn's rings glow blue like that.

 

[kamaz]

I think it's just some... random background that said, here you have it with Mars and asteroid.

Artwork from the era for the same design:

And a lunar exploration vehicle based on the same concept (1958) -- complete with a plastic model:

http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2010/12/making-space-strombecker-convair-manned.html