Saturday, March 7, 2015

Why we should go to Mars, a video interview with Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin
4 part video interview with Robert Zubrin, the president of The Mars Society, around the main subject - Why we should go to Mars? The interview was done by moonandback.com in 2012. Zubrin's and The Mars Society's efforts towards the manned mission to Mars was depicted in details in The Mars Underground documentary.

1. part - about Zubrin's career in space and the path that led to the founding of the Mars Society.

Friday, March 6, 2015

Mars explorer by Dmitry Kolomeets

Picture of the Day 6/3/15 - Mars exploration rover (2014) by freelance digital artist Dmitry Kolomeets (Dimk). More of his art here.

Mars rover by Dmitry Kolomeets

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

My LEGO Mars colony #2

When I finished my 1st LEGO Mars base back in April, 2014 (inspired from GRusso's idea for a LEGO Mars base) my boys were telling it's too small :) So now I pulled oneself together to build a bigger one - one which you could call even a small "colony" not only a "base". Part of the colony (the living quarters and some of the maintenance facilities) is hidden underground a mountain for better protection from radioactivity. Click to view in full resolution:

LEGO Mars colonyLEGO Mars colony

LEGO Mars colonyLEGO Mars colony

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Mars base by Bryan Versteeg

Picture of the Day 28/2/15 - Dust storm approaching a Mars base by Bryan Versteeg. More of his space concept art here.
(Open link in new tab to view ⇩ in full resolution)
Mars base by Bryan Versteeg

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Mars movie review - Red Faction: Origins (2011)

Red Faction Origins movie poster
Red Faction: Origins (2011) is a TV movie set in the universe of Red Faction computer game series. It details the events between Red Faction: Guerrilla and Red Faction: Armageddon on terraformed Mars of mid-22nd century. It's one of the latest movies depicting human colonies on Mars.

Story


The story of Red Faction series is tied around the freedom fights of human colonists on Mars against an oppressive rule of Earth-based corporation - the plot line often used in Mars fiction. The main hero of the movie is Jake Mason - the son of the famous leader of Mars resistance force (called "Red Faction") - Alec Mason - who has led the revolutionists towards the victory against Earth Defense Force (EDF) 25 years ago in Red Faction: Guerrilla. The victory hasn't brought a prosperity to the Mars colonies and colonists are living in quite poor conditions. The inhabited area of Mars is split by colonists and the marauders - a militant group of savage outcasts - and the relations between those two groups are getting more and more tense.


Monday, February 23, 2015

Spaceship in Mars orbit by Tim Flattery

Picture of the Day 23/2/15 - Spaceship in Mars orbit by Tim Flattery from his concept art for Mission to Mars. More of his concept art for movies here.

Mission to Mars

Monday, February 16, 2015

Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets (2004)

Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets movie poster
Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets (2004) is a fictional documentary made by BBC about a manned voyage through the solar system. Five astronauts are traveling with nuclear powered spaceship Pegasus and land on Venus, then on Mars, then they make a close flyby of the Sun for a gravity assist maneuver slingshotting them to Jupiter's system where they visit Io and Europa, then Saturn's icy rings and finally land on Pluto. On their way home they also land on a comet experiencing its destabilization when it closes Sun.

On their voyage they encounter many problems of which the death of one of them (because of a radiation overdose during the flyby of the Sun) is the most depressing one. In all the hardships the landing on Mars where they are delayed only by a sandstorm seems to be one of the easiest one.

There are some scenes from the Mars part of the movie (click to view in full resolution):

Mars landerExploring Mars

Astronauts on MarsMars lander

The Mars part of the movie can be seen here:

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Astronauts exploring Mars by Manchu

Picture of the Day 14/2/15 - "Sunrise on Mars polar cap" by French sci-fi artist Manchu (Philippe Bouchet).

Astronauts and rover on Mars by Manchu

Friday, February 13, 2015

Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars by Peter Elson

A set of paintings for the book covers of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy by classical space illustrator Peter Elson.
More of his paintings you can find here.

Phase 1. - Red Mars:

Astronauts on Red Mars by Peter Elson

Red Mars by Peter Elson

Phase 2. - Green Mars:

Green Mars by Peter Elson

Phase 3. - Blue Mars:

Blue Mars by Peter Elson