Showing posts with label Mars orbit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mars orbit. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

SpaceX Starship landing on Mars - 4K UHD renders from Elon's Starship update 2022

When SpaceX CEO and lead designer Elon Musk gave his latest Starship update in February 2022, the presentation contained an animation of Starship's mission to Mars with a landing at Mars Base Alpha in the end. Today SpaceX finally gave public access to 4K UHD version of that animation. Here are some images from it.
Starship landing at Mars Base Alpha:
SpaceX Mars Base Alpha from Elon Musk's Starship update 2022
Click HERE for 4K UHD resolution

SpaceX Mars Base Alpha spaceport from Elon Musk's Starship update 2022
Click HERE for 4K UHD resolution

SpaceX Starmen arriving at Mars Base Alpha from Elon Musk's Starship update 2022
Click HERE for 4K UHD resolution
Starship approaching Mars:
SpaceX Starship approaching Mars from Elon Musk's Starship update 2022
Click HERE for 4K UHD resolution

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Terraformed & colonized Mars as it would be seen from space

Terraformed and colonized Mars as it would be seen from Phobos, the closest of two natural Martian moons, by British illustrator Mark Garlick. More of his art here.

Terraformed & colonized Mars as it would be seen from Phobos by Mark Garlick

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Martian city lights from space

Two FHD wallpapers (1920 x 1080) with the city lights of a large city on Mars as they would be seen from space. The images were created by an uncredited artist(s) for HP's "Mars Home Planet" rendering challenge in 2018 inviting participants "to imagine, create and virtually experience a sophisticated civilization on Mars. A new home for one million humans."

Mars city lights from space

Mars city lights from space

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

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

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Spaceport on Phobos (concept art for Aliens: Colonial Marines)

Digital paintings of a spaceport on Phobos, the closest of two natural Martian moons. These images are concept art for Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013) - a first-person shooter (FPS) game set in the universe of Alien franchise. Unfortunately this location didn't make to the final game release.

In Alien's universe (depicted in Alien, Predator & Prometheus movies, games and books) Mars is the first planet colonized by humans in mid-21st century. There are many colonies and military bases on the planet established by both national and commercial entities and housing millions of people. On Phobos there is a commercial research facility experimenting with xenomorphs or aliens - a highly aggressive endoparasitoid extraterrestrial species.

Spaceport on Phobos (concept art for Aliens - Colonial Marines game)
Spaceship leaving Phobos' spaceport. Note the partially terraformed Mars below:
Spaceship leaving spaceport on Phobos (concept art for Aliens - Colonial Marines game)

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Human mission to Martian moons Phobos and Deimos by Pascal Lee

Over the years planetary scientist, the director of Haughton-Mars Project, Pascal Lee has created a set of paintings depicting human mission to the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. Here are several of them. More of his Mars related paintings here.
Spaceship approaching Mars with Phobos and Deimos in sight:
Human mission to Martian moons by Pascal Lee
Landing on Deimos, the farthest and smallest of the two Martian moons:
Human mission to Martian moons - landing on Deimos - by Pascal Lee
Astronauts exploring Deimos:
Human mission to Martian moons - exploring Deimos - by Pascal Lee
Landing on Phobos, the closest and largest of the two Martian moons:
Human mission to Martian moons - landing on Phobos - by Pascal Lee

Friday, September 17, 2021

Mars base in Civilization 6 strategy game

Civilization 6 (Sid Meier's Civilization VI) is a turn-based strategy game released in 2016. The goal for the player is to develop a civilization from an early settlement through many in-game millennia to become a world power and achieve one of several victory conditions. One of the paths to win the game is through science domination where you need to be the first to launch a satellite, land humans on the Moon and establish a Martian colony.

Mars base in Civilization 6 game (science victory)
Spaceship approaching Mars to establish a colony there:
Spaceship approaching Mars in Civilization 6 game (science victory)
Full in-game cinematic for science victory:

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Domed park on a space station orbiting Mars

Picture of the Day 15/08/2021 - domed monumental park on a gigantic space station orbiting Mars by concept art and visual development house West Studio.

Domed park on a space station orbiting Mars by West Studio

Friday, February 12, 2021

Spaceport on Phobos by Thomas Peters

Picture of the Day 12/02/2021 - Spaceport on Phobos, the closest of two natural Martian moons, by graphic designer and illustrator Thomas Peters (Drell-7). More of his space art here.

Spaceport on Phobos by Thomas Peters (Drell-7)

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

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.

SpaceX orbital shuttle on Mars by Rodrigo Magro

SpaceX orbital shuttle concept by Rodrigo Magro

Monday, June 29, 2020

SpaceX orbital station above terraformed Mars by Encho Enchev

Picture of the Day 29/6/2020 - Concept art for SpaceX's orbital station above partly terraformed Mars by Encho Enchev from Ubisoft. More of his concept art here.

SpaceX orbital station above terraformed Mars by Encho Enchev

Monday, June 1, 2020

Monday, May 25, 2020

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.

SpaceX Red Dragon entering Mars' atmosphere by Chris Monson

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Martian colonies in season 4 of The Expanse

Although Mars is one of the three competing powers in universe of The Expanse TV series (a political sci-fi detective set a few centuries in the future where humans have colonized the entire Solar system) only a few scenes were actually set on Mars in first three seasons of the series. That changes in season 4 where the life on Mars at last gets proper depiction.

In The Expanse Mars, governed by Martian Congressional Republic, is a militaristic and technologically advanced society of over nine billion inhabitants. It is the major competitor of Earth & Luna, governed by United Nations. Earth, dragged down by overpopulation and climate change, envies Mars because of its society's high mobilization towards the shared goal of terraforming Mars. But in season 4 that shared goal and order of the Martian society is starting to erode as the new habitable planets beyond the rings are discovered (without the costly need of being terraformed as Mars does). As the interplanetary military tension is over veterans find themselves needless in the peace time society; crime and corruption is rising, and some even manage to sell older military tech to Belter pirate gangs.

Here is a collection with HD images from the Martian scenes in season 4 of The Expanse (open link in new tab to view in full resolution):

Mars colony in Season 4 of The Expanse

Mars colony in Season 4 of The Expanse
Exterior and interior of a shipyard for Martian fleet:
Shipyard exterior on Mars in Season 4 of The Expanse

Shipyard interior on Mars in Season 4 of The Expanse
Martian school kids training for exam:
Martian school kids training for exam in Season 4 of The Expanse

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Mars in Ad Astra (2019) movie

Ad Astra is a recent (September 2019) science fiction thriller set in mid-21st century when humanity has started to settle the inner Solar System. A son (Brad Pitt) is sent on a mission to uncover the truth about his 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 are some HD images from the Martian scenes in the movie.

Astronaut looking at rocket launch pad on Mars - image from Ad Astra movie

Spaceship approaching Mars - image from Ad Astra movie

Spaceship over Valles Marineris on Mars - image from Ad Astra movie

Monday, October 14, 2019

Colonized Valles Marineris region on Mars from season 4 teaser of The Expanse

There are two short scenes on Mars in the latest season 4 teaser for The Expanse TV series - a political sci-fi detective set a few centuries in the future where humans have colonized the entire Solar system; Mars is one of three competing forces in the universe of The Expanse. There were three more scenes on Mars in the first teaser for season 4.
Human colonies in Valles Marineris region (horizontally flipped in the trailer for some unknown reason) on Mars:
Human colonies in Valles Marineris region on Mars from season 4 teaser of The Expanse
Earth's leader Avasarala attending a diplomatic banquet on Mars:
Earth's leader Avasarala attending a diplomatic banquet on Mars from season 4 teaser of The Expanse

HD images of Mars from season 2 of The Expanse TV series here


Tuesday, October 8, 2019

SpaceX new Starship leaving Mars by William Falconer-Beach

Picture of the Day 8/10/2019 - SpaceX's new Starship leaving Mars by William Falconer-Beach, a young graphic designer from New Zealand. More of his Starship renders here.

SpaceX new Starship leaving Mars by William Falconer-Beach

Monday, October 7, 2019

Family spacecraft approaching Martian spaceport by Clive Almeida

Inspiring scene from our bright future where humanity has colonized the Solar system - family spacecraft approaching Martian spaceport by Indian concept artist Clive Almeida; an image from his concept of a Mars theme park "Mars: a brave new world". More of his art here.

Family spacecraft approaching Martian spaceport by Clive Almeida