Friday, December 30, 2022

Lockheed Martin's vision for Mars base in 2050

At its "Destination: Space 2050" event in October Lockheed Martin (one of the largest American aerospace, advanced technologies and defense companies) shared its vision of a vibrant space economy in the year 2050. Here Lockheed Martin envisions a future on Mars with "power beaming, laser communications and robotic in-situ construction for a sustainable living and economic environment". Note company's conceptual Mars lander on the landing pad.

Lockheed Martin's vision for Mars base in 2050
Lockheed Martin's animation of "Destination: Space 2050" vision:

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Mars rising over the Moon's horizon; photo by Andrew McCarthy

Awesome photography of planet Mars rising over the horizon of the Moon captured by American astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy on 8th of December, 2022.

Mars rising over the Moon's horizon; photo by Andrew McCarthy

Friday, December 9, 2022

Phobos as a space elevator for Mars

Building a Martian space elevator would be complicated by the Martian moon Phobos, which is in a low orbit at ~6,028 km above the Martian surface and intersects the Equator regularly, thus getting in the way of a traditional geostationary space elevator. But there is an idea instead to build a space elevator from Phobos itself.

Phobos is tidally locked to Mars (as the Moon is to Earth), where the same side of the moon stays facing the planet. A space elevator could extend down from Phobos to Mars 6,000 km, about 28 kilometers from the surface, and just out of the atmosphere of Mars. A similar space elevator cable could extend out 6,000 km the opposite direction that would counterbalance Phobos. In total the space elevator would extend out over 12,000 km which would be below Areostationary orbit of Mars (17,032 km).

A rocket launch would still be needed to get the rocket and cargo to the beginning of the space elevator 28 km above the surface. The surface of Mars is rotating at 0.25 km/s at the equator and the bottom of the space elevator would be rotating around Mars at 0.77 km/s, so only 0.52 km/s of Delta-v would be needed to get to the space elevator. Phobos orbits at 2.15 km/s and the outer most part of the space elevator would rotate around Mars at 3.52 km/s.

Infographic: Phobos as a space elevator for Mars

In our speculative Mars Colonization Timeline we have estimated such a Phobos-based space elevator could be built as soon as in 2080s–2090s. In adition to the space elevator there could be built a shuttle port at the summit of Pavonis Mons – the Martian volcano practically on the equator – for shuttles heading to and coming from Phobos space elevator. The summit of Pavonis Mons is standing 14 km above Mars' mean surface level (way above the denser part of the atmosphere), halving the needed trip to the shuttle platform at space elavator's lower tip 28 km above the surface.

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Lunar colony in Ad Astra (2019) movie

Ad Astra is 2019 science fiction thriller set in mid-21st century when humanity has started to settle the inner Solar System. One of the most memorable parts of the movie is human colony on the Moon with space pirates :) chasing military rover convoy going to the spaceport on the far side of the Moon.

In the movie a son (Brad Pitt), serving in the military, is sent on a mission to uncover the truth about his famous father's (Tommy Lee Jones) long lost mission near Neptune which now threatens the survival of Earth. In his lonesome and dangerous mission he visits several places including a dynamic but wild human colony on the Moon and a desolate relay station on Mars. Here is a collection of HD images from the Lunar part of the movie:

Moon colony in Ad Astra movie

Lunar rover on the Moon in Ad Astra movie

Moon colony in Ad Astra movie

Lunar rovers at solar park on the Moon in Ad Astra movie

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Exploration rover in Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars by Ludovic Celle

Picture of the Day 06/12/2022 - Large human exploration rover in Noctis Labyrinthus, Mars (a region with maze-like system of deep, steep-walled valleys West of Valles Marineris) by French graphic artist Ludovic Celle. More of his Mars art here.

Mars exploration rover in Noctis Labyrinthus by Ludovic Celle

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Lunar colony concept art for Ad Astra by Finnian MacManus

Concept art of the Lunar colony in Ad Astra (2019) movie (science fiction thriller set in mid-21st century when humanity has started to settle the inner Solar System) by film, game and TV concept artist, the founder and creative director of Terraform Studios, Finnian MacManus. More of his art here.

Moon colony concept art for Ad Astra by Finnian MacManus

Moon colony concept art for Ad Astra by Finnian MacManus

Moon colony concept art for Ad Astra by Finnian MacManus

Moon colony concept art for Ad Astra by Finnian MacManus

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Martian city on terraformed Mars

Martian city on terraformed Mars – a gameplay art from Terraformers – Mars colonization turn based strategy game released in early access on April 2022 and developed by indie game developer Asteroid Lab. In about a week the game will get a major update, including the ability to continue your game after achieving a victory condition, thus further expanding your civilization on Mars.

Martian city on terraformed Mars (Terraformers game)

Saturday, November 26, 2022

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Terraformed Mars from human base on Phobos by David A. Hardy

In 1994 the famous British space artist David A. Hardy created several retrofuturistic illustrations of a human base on Phobos, the closest of two natural Martian moons, in front of a terraformed Mars. The illustrations were created as cover art for two separate books. More of Hardy's Mars art here.
"Terraforming Mars" as cover art for Arthur C. Clarke's book "The Snows of Olympus" (1994):
Terraforming Mars - view from human base on Phobos by David A. Hardy
"Terraformed Mars" as cover art (there are several slightly different versions of this illustration) for Carl Sagan's book "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space" (1994):
Terraformed Mars from human base on Phobos by David A. Hardy

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Animation of SpaceX Starship flying to Mars by iamVisual, narrated by Carl Sagan

YouTuber iamVisual has created a new animation "Wanderers" depicting SpaceX Starship's flight to Mars. The animation is narrated by Carl Sagan, the famous visionary of space exploration and colonization, reading from his 1994 book "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space". Here you can watch the animation and see some images from it:

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Eco-futuristic settlement in a Martian canyon by Lukas Yosi Filip

Czech architectural CG artist Lukas Yosi Filip has created a set of images of what could be an eco-futuristic settlement in a terraformed Martian canyon for his Desert Ark concept (the last sanctuaries of human knowledge, culture and research in a dystopian post-climate change world where deserts has taken over the Earth).

Eco-futuristic settlement in a Martian canyon by Lukas Yosi Filip

Eco-futuristic settlement in a Martian canyon by Lukas Yosi Filip

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Desolate life at a homestead on Mars in Settlers (2021) movie

Settlers (2021) is a British science fiction thriller set in a Martian frontier. A small family of early settlers live alone at a homestead in a valley protected by a force field bubble that keeps breathable air inside, but soon their lonely existence is disturbed by a group of intruders. I won't spoil the plot twists of the thriller, but it has major Wild West vibes there. Here is a collection of HD screens from the movie:

The settler family is not alone in their lonely Martian valley anymore...

Homestead on Mars in Settlers (2021) movie

Greenhouse on Mars in Settlers (2021) movie

Homestead on Mars in Settlers (2021) movie

Monday, October 24, 2022

Astronaut exploring a cliff on Mars by Pat Rawlings

Picture of the Day 24/10/2022 - Astronaut exploring a vertical cliff on Mars (1993) by classical space illustrator Pat Rawlings. More of his art here.

Astronaut exploring a cliff on Mars by Pat Rawlings

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Mars Base Alpha in a crater by Anastasia Volyk & Vladyslav Lysenko

Ukrainian 3D artists Anastasia Volyk and Vladyslav Lysenko have created a concept for SpaceX's Mars Base Alpha in a small Martian crater. The individual habitats scattered on the inner slope of the crater wall are connected with the center of the colony via partially underground hyperloop lines. In the further future hyperloop lines could connect Mars Base Alpha with other human colonies on Mars. I would place Starship launch pads outside the crater.

Mars Base Alpha in a crater by Anastasia Volyk and Vladyslav Lysenko

Mars Base Alpha by Anastasia Volyk and Vladyslav Lysenko

SpaceX Starship launch from Mars Base Alpha by Anastasia Volyk and Vladyslav Lysenko

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Artemis rockets (SLS & Starship) that will get us to the Moon - infographic by Tony Bela

Australian space illustrator Tony Bela has created an infographic of Artemis rockets – NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), boosting Orion crew capsule to lunar orbit, and SpaceX's Human Landing System (known as Lunar Starship) – that will get the humanity back to the surface of the Moon.

Infographic of Artemis rockets - NASA's SLS & SpaceX's Starship - by Tony Bela
You can download the infographic in its original resolution here.

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

"For All Mankind" season 3 brings space race to Mars

Soviets and US are joined by a private company Helios for a three way race to Mars in the alternate 1990s of For All Mankind season 3. The alternate history sci-fi TV series are exploring the idea of never ending space race if Soviets would have beaten US in the race for the Moon. In first two seasons of the show the focus was the Moon: in season 1, depicting alternate 1969 to 1974, both Soviets and US start building their separate bases near the lunar South pole; in season 2, depicting the alternate 1983, both bases have been expanded and the superpowers compete for resources on the Lunar surface.

The intention of the show is each season to jump about a decade further into the increasingly diverging reality of the show. Season 3 depicts alternate 1992 to 1995 when a race to establish first human base on Mars is facing various dangers for all of the participants. Here is a large collection of HD images from season 3 of the show. First part of the collection contains images with only minor spoilers, not revealing major story plots besides those already known from season 3 trailer.

Helios lander landing at NASA's base on Mars in season 3 of 'For All Mankind' TV series
The actual race starts with Helio's Phoenix launching from low Earth orbit, NASA's Sojourner from the Moon and Soviet Mars-94 directly from Earth:
Helios spaceship Phoenix leaving Earth in season 3 of 'For All Mankind' TV series

NASA's Sojourner spaceship leaving the Moon in season 3 of 'For All Mankind' TV series

Soviet Mars-94 spaceship on the way to Mars in season 3 of 'For All Mankind' TV series

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Mars colony in Moonshot (2022) movie

Moonshot is recently released (March 2022) science fiction teen comedy set in 2049 when trips to Mars has become routine for skilled or wealthy people. A rich, skilled girl (Lana Condor) and a poor, "mediocre" boy (Cole Sprouse) travel together to Mars, each for their own reasons, and after arrival they both discover those reasons were wrong. Although the movie by itself is quite silly with childish dialogues and cheap interior sets, the CGI for Mars colony exteriors is really good. Here are some HD images from the movie:

Spaceship on launch platform at Mars spaceport

Astronauts orbiting Mars

Spaceship launch from Mars colony

Fireworks at Mars colony

Friday, July 15, 2022

VR tour of SpaceX Starship interior concept by Paul King

British interior architect / designer Paul King has updated his concept of SpaceX's Starship interior with an interactive VR tour created by Ryan Thomas and modelled by Jen Christensen & Dale Rutherford. His concept divides Starship's pressurized living space into six 2.5m high levels and is designed for 20 (one shift) to 40 (two shifts sharing the same crew pods) passengers.

Explore the interactive VR tour HERE

Detailed concept HERE

Here are some images from the VR tour. Flight deck (level 6):
SpaceX Starship interior concept by Paul King - Level 6 (flight deck)
One of the crew pods (level 4):
SpaceX Starship interior concept by Paul King - Level 4 (crew pod 1)
EVA area (level 1):
SpaceX Starship interior concept by Paul King - Level 1 (EVA & storage)

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Painting of a human base on Mars by Dmytro Ivashchenko

Picture of the Day 30/06/2022 - Sunset on Mars - oil painting of a human base on Mars by Ukrainian freelance artist Dmytro Ivashchenko. More of his art here.

Painting of a human base on Mars by Dmytro Ivashchenko

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

3 way race to Mars in season 3 of "For All Mankind" alternate history TV series

For All Mankind is an alternate history sci-fi TV series exploring the idea of never ending space race if Soviets would have beaten US in the race for the Moon. In first two seasons of the show the focus was the Moon: in season 1, depicting alternate 1969 to 1974, both Soviets and US start building their separate bases near the lunar South pole; in season 2, depicting the alternate 1983, both bases have been expanded and the superpowers compete for resources on the Lunar surface.

As hinted in the final scene of season 2 Mars will be the central stage in season 3 of the show. Recently released season 3 trailer shows that the Soviets and US are joined by a private company Helios for a three way race to Mars in 1995. Here you can watch the trailer and see some screenshots from it. The season 3 will start airing in June 10 on Apple TV+.

Helios' Mars mobile habitat:
NASA's Mars mobile habitat in season 3 of 'For All Mankind' TV series
3 rivals racing for Mars in season 3 of For All Mankind TV series:
3 rivals racing for Mars in season 3 of 'For All Mankind' TV series
NASA's spaceship arriving to Mars:
NASA's spaceship arriving to Mars in season 3 of 'For All Mankind' TV series

Sunday, May 1, 2022

How we will travel beyond Mars - shortfilm by Erik Wernquist

Swedish digital artist Erik Wernquist, the author of the stunning shortfilm "Wanderers" which depicts a vision of humanity's expansion into the Solar System, has created another inspirational shortfilm "Go Incredibly Fast" "to identify a few propulsion approaches we might utilize to send humans to the worlds in our Solar System beyond Mars and reach out across the vast distances between stars."

Here you can watch the shortfilm and see some Mars-related images from it:

Astronaut in front of Mars colony:
Astronaut in front of Mars colony by Erik Wernquist
Space station orbiting Mars:
Space station orbiting Mars by Erik Wernquist

Friday, April 15, 2022

SpaceX Starships at Mars Base Alpha by TijnM

YouTuber TijnM has created an animation of SpaceX's Starship traveling to Mars and landing at Mars Base Alpha. Here are two renders of the base made for the animation:

SpaceX Starships at Mars Base Alpha by TijnM

Mars Base Alpha by TijnM
Here is the full animation: