Space Art » Galaxy Wire

SPACE ART: The National AeroSpace Plane

The X-30 National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) was an attempt by the United States to create a viable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spacecraft. The project was cancelled prior to the first craft being built.

NASP originated from a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project called Copper Canyon that ran from 1982 to 1985. In his 1986 State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan called for “…a new Orient Express that could, by the end of the next decade, take off from Dulles Airport, accelerate up to 25 times the speed of sound, attaining low earth orbit or flying to Tokyo within two hours.”

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(Above) 1986 artist’s concept of X-30 on liftoff.

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(Above) 1986 artist’s concept of NASP X-30 approaching Space Station Freedom.

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(Above) Rockwell’s concept art for the X-30 NASP.

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(Above) General Dynamics concept art for the X-30 NASP.

Posted
July 20th, 2009

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SPACE ART: Soviet Space Shuttle on the Launch Pad

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As part of its efforts to militarize space, the USSR pressed forward in the 1980s with an active research and development program centered at Tyuratam. The Soviets designed the SL-W heavy lift space launch vehicle for use with the Buran Space Shuttle, as well as with other heavy payloads.

This painting was done by Ronald C. Wittmann for the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

Posted
July 14th, 2009

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SPACE ART: Soviet Anti-Satellite System

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(Above) Soviet military space capabilities posed an ever-increasing threat to U.S. land, sea, air, and space forces in the 1980s. The USSR operated and tested an orbital antisatellite weapon that was designed to destroy space targets with a multi-pellet blast.

This painting was done by Ronald C. Wittmann for the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

Posted
July 10th, 2009

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SPACE ART: NASA Space Colony

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(Above) Several Space Colony summer studies were conducted at NASA’s Ames Research Center in the 1970s. Colonies housing about 10,000 people were designed. The above colony art depicts a Bernal Sphere point design that features a sphere living area.

Posted
July 9th, 2009

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SPACE ART: NASA’s Planned Integrated Program

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(Above) This 1970 artist’s concept illustrates the use of the Space Shuttle, Nuclear Shuttle, and Space Tug in NASA’s Integrated Program.

This integrated program was a result of the Space Task Group’s recommendations for more commonality and integration in the American space program.

The only fully developed and deployed hardware from 1970′s Integrated Program are the Space Shuttle and the Space Station. The Nuclear Shuttle, and Space Tug were never taken beyond the paper stage.

Posted
July 8th, 2009

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SPACE ART: Mars Nuclear Electric-Propelled Vehicle

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(Above) This artist’s concept shows a nuclear electric-propelled vehicle, about the size of a football field, firing banks of ion thrusters in order to circularize its orbit around Mars.

Assembled in Earth orbit, the transfer vehicle with its 10 megawatt power plant could transport 130 metric ton payloads to Mars in 6 1/2 months, and could repeat its circuit every 52 months.

This artwork was done for NASA by Patrick Rawlings.

Posted
July 7th, 2009

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SPACE ART: Orbital Propellant Depot

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This 1971 artist’s concept shows a Nuclear Shuttle (left) and an early Space Shuttle (right) docked with an Orbital Propellant Depot. As envisioned by Marshall Space Flight Center Program Development personnel, an orbital modular propellant storage depot, supplied periodically by the Space Shuttle or Earth-to-orbit fuel tankers, would be critical in making available large amounts of fuel to various orbital vehicles and spacecraft.

Posted
July 6th, 2009

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SPACE ART: Earth Orbit Cargo Transfer

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(Above) This 1969 artist’s concept illustrates the use of three major elements of NASA’s Integrated program, as proposed by President Nixon’s Space Task Group.

In Phases I and II, a Space Tug with a manipulator-equipped crew module removes a cargo module from an early Space Shuttle Orbiter and docks with it.

In Phases III and IV, the Space Tug with attached cargo module flys toward a Nuclear Shuttle. As a result of the Space Task Group’s recommendations for more commonality and integration in the American space program, Marshall Space Flight Center engineers studied many of the spacecraft depicted above.

Posted
July 4th, 2009

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SPACE ART: MIR Space Station & Buran Shuttle Docked

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(Above) In the mid-1980s, Moscow announced plans to have a large, permanently manned space station orbiting the Earth in the 1990s. They launched MIR, the core vehicle of a modular space station, in February 1986. The Soviets planned to use a space shuttle orbiter, then in development called Buran, to carry payloads and assist in the assembly of the space station.

This painting was done by Brian W. McMullin for the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

Posted
July 3rd, 2009

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SPACE ART: Apollo CM Separates from the S-IVB Stage

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(Above) This painting is an artist’s concept illustrating the deployment of the Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter panels as the Command/Service Module separates from the Lunar Module Saturn S-IVB stage.

This phase of the mission occurs following translunar injection. After the transposition and docking, the S-IVB stage is jettisoned and the spacecraft continues in a coasting maneuver toward the moon.

Posted
July 2nd, 2009

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