Space Shuttles

I almost called this post "strange shuttles," as a spiritual follow-up to my post dedicated to only the most offbeat types of dragons in retro speculative fiction art.

However! Even though I'm mostly interested in the inventive sci-fi style version of what a shuttle-esque spacecraft can look like, I do love a good old-fashioned NASA space shuttle. So, I'll throw in a few of those ones, before we start getting weird.

Here's a sadly uncredited piece of NASA concept art, depicting a shuttle launch in outer space.

Nothing beats this piece of NASA concept art by Spencer Taylor for nostalgia, though. Check out those earthy 70s-era colors.

Another NASA concept, by M. Alvarez. The perspective of Earth really grabs me with this one.

Here's an early 1980s Martin Marietta concept of a space station, built using external fuel tanks from a space shuttle. Shoutout to Humanoid History on Tumblr for this one.

Okay, let's start to move just slightly past concepts and further into the future: As the illustrator behind the promo art for 2001: A Space Odyssey, Robert McCall is pretty great at realistic, near-future space exploration. NASA commissioned him more than a few times, as well.

Here's his 1974 illustration “Shuttle In Earth Orbit.”

Same for this Robert McCall, although I don't have a title or date on hand for it.

Klaus Bürgle has a similarly energetic futuristic scene here.

Another great Klaus Bürgle:

Going even further into science fiction illustration, here's a Vicente Segrelles depiction of a few space shuttles. It's used as the cover to Stripoteka 685, although it may have appeared earlier.

Here's ‘Saturn Ring and Space Shuttle,’ by April Lawton. Oh yeah, I'm cropping this down for the header image for sure, folks. You heard it here first. I mean last, because you already saw the header by this point. I heard it here first. Once again, you're all ahead of me.

April Lawton also did this one. Think there's just an Star Wars Imperial Battleship here? Take a closer look.

Here's a cool Bob Eggleton. He's foregoing his typical highly saturated color for this one, so this feels much more like typical space art, but with an iron-plated module.

John Berkey has an epic low-orbit space station, along with tiny shuttles and space planes.

John Harris' 1987 cover to All Judgement Fled, by James White, includes two massive spaceships. Naturally, they need a tiny little shuttle to ferry people between the two.

And when you're leaving the shuttle, you need a cool tether line to keep you safe, as this Chris Moore illustration reveals.

Alan Gutierrez's 1983 cover to The Lagrangists by Mack Reynolds, includes a shuttle alongside an impressive space station near what looks like Earth.

“Jupiter Shuttle,” by Colin Hay, has one of the wilder designs in this collection. From Tour of the Universe, by Malcolm Edwards and Robert Holdstock.

I'm not sure if the hardware on Vincent Di Fate's cover to Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact's April 1977 issue is closer to a shuttle or a plane.

This Peter Elson illustration makes a return, after popping up in my post about spaceship windshields. It's pretty great!

This uncredited 1971 interior from the illustrated encyclopedia Frontiers of Space, by Philip Bono and Kenneth William Gatland, features a massive shuttle along with what looks like a really rickety ramp.

But let's forget about the realism entirely and instead check out this sick 1982 Paul Alexander cover for The Queen of Zamba, by L. Sprague de Camp.

Why don't NASA shuttle launches all come with a green-haired dude riding around in a horned-horse-drawn carriage? We're missing out.

Cool Links:

RIP legendary colorist Tatjana Wood

She's known for her work on Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing. Here's one of her panels, followed by the not-so-legendary recolored version from a DC reprint.

Revisiting sci-fi anime Ergo Proxy reveals more than edginess and pretension - AV Club

I remember enjoying this one when I saw it forever ago, so it's nice to see someone confirm that it hasn't been totally forgotten. I recommend it for anyone who thinks the album cover photo for Evanescence's "Fallen" could be an entire animated show.

The Art of Renato Fratini - Kickstarter

A new art collection for a largely forgotten midcentury illustrator behind some famous posters and paperback covers.

Music rec: Women of Mongolian pop & trance, 2000-2006

Next Time: Sea Monsters