Astronauts exploring Martian canyon by Mark Garlick

Picture of the Day 01/08/2021 - two astronauts exploring a canyon on Mars by British illustrator Mark Garlick. More of his art here.

SpaceX Mars exploration rover concept by Alexander Svanidze

Russian game artist Alexander Svanidze has created his concept of SpaceX's Mars exploration rover (CyberRover) made by Tesla. More of his art here.

Landing site of Perseverance Mars 2020 rover

On February 18th NASA successfully landed its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on Mars in Jezero Crater (Western Isidis Planitia). As you may wonder where it is, we placed Perseverance's landing location on the map of Mars by National Geographic Society:

Open link in new tab to view the map in full resolution.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created an animated flyover of the Martian surface explaining why Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide ancient lake-delta system, is the best place for Perseverance to find and collect promising samples for a possible future return to Earth. The animation also reveals the route Perseverance will travel in the first years after landing:

NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing in infographics

Tomorrow, on February 18, NASA will land its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on Mars in Jezero Crater (Western Isidis Planitia). Its mission is to collect samples for later retrieval and it is accompanied by a small reconnaissance drone-helicopter Ingenuity - the first such craft on Mars. We will be able to watch NASA's broadcast of the landing here (starting on 19:15 UTC).

Here is an excellent infographic of Perseverance's landing sequence by Australian space illustrator Tony Bela:

Open link in new tab to view the infographic in its original resolution.

Merry Christmas from Santa Claus on Mars!

Merry Christmas from Santa Claus on Mars! Retro art (1976) via Bridgeman Images.

Mars exploration caravan at a giant spaceship wreck by Wayne Haag

Picture of the Day 27/10/2020 - Oil painting of Mars exploration caravan at a giant spaceship wreck by Australian concept artist Wayne Haag. More of his art here.

Mars ascent vehicle concept by Alex Nice

Concept of a Mars ascent vehicle by American art director / illustrator Alex Nice. It was created for Hulu's drama TV series "The First". The slow-paced, character oriented TV show was cancelled after season 1 even before reaching Mars.

Mars exploration rover by Maciej Rebisz

Picture of the Day 21/10/2020 - International Mars exploration rover by Polish concept artist, currently working as senior concept artist for game developer CD PROJEKT RED (The Witcher game series, Cyberpunk 2077), Maciej Rebisz. More of his art here.

SpaceX orbital shuttle concept by Rodrigo Magro

SpaceX is developing its Starship Super Heavy two-stage super heavy-lift launch vehicle for interplanetary flights. But, if you would need a flight only between the surface of Mars, Moon or other similar planetary body and its orbit, you could do it by less powerful spacecraft - an orbital shuttle.

Here is a concept of such spacecraft, called SpaceX Starflight, by Spanish transportation designer Rodrigo Magro. The orbital shuttle would have a lifting-body shape with thermal shield on the windward side, two forward winglets as Starship, four lower fins with landing legs and solar panels, large panoramic window and hypergolic auxiliary engines for landing on the Moon and other smaller planetary bodies.

Silhouettes of Cybertruck and Starman on Mars

Picture of the Day 16/8/2020 - illustration with silhouettes of Tesla Cybertruck and SpaceX's Starman on Mars by French graphic artist Palma.

NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch

Today, July 30, at 7:50 AM (EDT) NASA will launch its next generation Mars 2020 Perseverance rover to Mars. The rover will land on Mars on February 18, 2021 in Jezero Crater (Western Isidis Planitia) to collect samples for later retrieval; the rover will be accompanied by a small reconnaissance drone-helicopter Ingenuity.

Here you can watch NASA's livestream of the launch:

The Perseverance is a twin rover of the Curiosity rover (working on Mars since 2012) with some upgrades:

Overview of the Perseverance scientific instruments:

NASA astronaut on Mars

Illustration of an astronaut on Mars, as viewed through the window of a spacecraft, by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's visual strategist Joby Harris. More of his art here.

SpaceX Starship on Mars by Dale Rutherford

SpaceX's Starship on Mars by Scottish photographer & designer Dale Rutherford. More of his art here.

Starship approaching Mars:

SpaceX Red Dragon entering Mars' atmosphere by Chris Monson

Vision of SpaceX's Dragon 2 capsule entering Mars' atmosphere (if Red Dragon missions launched by Falcon Heavy hadn't been cancelled and replaced by much more powerful Starship mission architecture) by computer designer Chris Monson. More of his art here.

Two Starmen and a Stardog exploring Mars

Picture of the Day 5/5/2020 - two Starmen and a Stardog exploring Mars by Costa Rican artist Gabriel from Guardianes de Perros.

NASA astronaut on Mars by James Vaughan

Two variants of a scene with NASA's astronaut on Mars by photographer and concept artist James Vaughan - one with a small human base in the background and the second in front of an exploration rover. More of Vaughan's aerospace and defense concept art here.

Animation envisioning first human mission to Mars

Images and video animation envisioning first human mission to Mars created by Taylor James design studio for a health care campaign "Destination Survival" by Sudler & Hennessey London.

Painting of Elon Musk on Mars by Conor Walton

Oil painting with Elon Musk, the CEO & lead designer of SpaceX, on Mars by Irish painter Conor Walton. More of his art here.

Starman resting at his Tesla Cybertruck on Mars by Eashan Misra

SpaceX's Starman resting at his Tesla Cybertruck on Mars by Indian space artist Eashan Misra. More of his art here. According to Elon Musk, the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, the pressurized edition of Cybertruck will be capable to drive on Mars.

Tesla Cybertruck on Mars

The pressurized edition of Tesla Cybertruck, unveiled yesterday by Elon Musk, will be capable operating on Mars. Reddit user u/redditbsbsbs has made an image: