space exploration

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A still life from the NASA Great Images collection.

This was a prototype of the craft that went on to explore the outer reaches of the solar system, then become a machine consciousness… Read the rest “Science Art: Voyager Spacecraft During Vibration Testing, 1977”

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A gorgeous vintage diagram of NASA’s deep space probe’s trajectory.

The NASA image archive page says:

This image, drawn in 1970, is an artist’s rendering

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On July 22, 1969, when Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong were on their way home after going as far away as anyone had ever gone, this is what home looked like.… Read the rest “Science Art: Planet Earth, Seen by the Apollo 11.”

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This is a Saturn V rocket, the largest, heaviest vehicle ever to hurl itself from our small ball of mud into the vastness of space.

At the time the photographer is snapping… Read the rest “Science Art: The Apollo 11 Launch.”

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This is Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons that might harbor life. That nearly geometric blue pattern on its surface is called “tiger striping,”… Read the rest “Science Art: Fresh Tiger Stripes on Saturn’s Enceladus, by Cassini.”

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This is the Japanese lunar probe Kayuga (Selene) crashing into the Moon.

More specifically, this is a 3D rendering of data sent by the probe as it ended its mission … Read the rest “Science Art: 3D movie taken by the Terrain Camera (TC) of KAGUYA (SELENE) during its maneuvered falling to the Moon.), Japanese Space Agency JAXA.”