It’s another edition of The Space Age Craze, a column of The Great Galactic Space Gimmick that celebrates the general public’s love and fancy for the Space Age . . . and perhaps to help us all remember what Spaceflight and Space Exploration are all about. What is it all about? It’s the wonder, amazement, and the draw to expand our knowledge of the physical universe and ultimately see the wonders of the universe that scientists have speculated and observed in years past first hand.
Since many of us (including a NASA and USAF rocket veteran like myself) have never seen the views of space firsthand, there is a segment of the Space Age Crazed populace with a literal gift of developing visual portraits and imagery to help capture our imagination in lieu of actually seeing it for ourselves . . . at least until Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic make it as easy to fly into orbit and Mars as a Delta Airlines 8:25am flight to Tampa or commuter to Flagstaff.
One such artist that embodies the draw to Spaceflight is James Vaughan. James has contributed a tremendous amount of graphical works to many different Aerospace publications over the years.
He creatively uses a combination of photographs, design drawings, and computer-rendered imaging to create intensely realistic depictions of space travel, space exploration, and space fantasy that could ultimately come to pass as certainly as Kirk’s hand-held communicators (in Star Trek) became the modern Smart Phone among others.
Growing up during the original Space Race, when it was national superpowers versus corporate entities as of now, James was captivated by the rise of the Space Age, the television broadcasts of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions.
The X-Plane era was also in full operation at the time, such as the legendary X-15. When I spoke to him some time back, he spoke of his current illustration efforts being inspired by the large LIFE magazine prints of space themed articles which he hung up in his room when he was younger.
He was also inspired by various legends of Science Fiction such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: Space Odyssey and through this and other sources.
The intrinsic idea behind this work, as James puts it, is PUTTING THE “GEE-WHIZ” BACK IN AEROSPACE ILLUSTRATION”. Work such as this is an understatement . . . and one of many viable, refreshing, well-needed elements to boosting Spaceflight and Space Industry support in the modern-day and age.
In the audiovisual, smart phone, movie CGI heavy, and video game themed world we live in, it’s become too easy to trick the modern-day public into believing that the movies they watch, the YouTube videos they see, and the VR video games they play give you an accurate portrayal of Space. While noble and enjoyable, they don’t hit it head on as much as they should. Sometimes its something much more simple and profound that has the intended effect.
James illustrations not only show the reality of Spaceflight, but also what could be or what might be awesome to think about. For example, this illustration of an orbital-take on a US Coast Guard craft (in the form of a lifting-body single stage orbital shuttle-successor).
One proposed successor that never was completed was the VentureStar project in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Ken Mattingly (played by Gary Sinise in Apollo 13) was part of this project. James did this illustration of a lifting body craft that was in the actual design phase and likely slated to be used for this project.
James doesn’t just focus on conceptual illustrations. He puts as much effort into present day, well-known projects such as the legendary STS program (a.k.a. “Space Shuttle”).
And what if the Shuttle program was adapted into a secret spacecraft assigned to orbital defensive detail? The secretive X-37B USAF craft featured previously in another article I wrote (part of the Spaceport Pantheon) are shown on one potential secret mission, namely performing some ICBM-deterrent operation. Personally, if Daniel Craig starred in a remake of James Bond film, Moonraker, this would be a great movie poster. 🙂
Then there are visions of the future. Now that the Commercial Space Program is in full gear, and the Space Race has been commercialized, we’re looking at corporate entities taking over where the government once had full reign. Boeing’s Starliner is one example, servicing the ISS and transporting astronauts to and fro from there.
Blue Origin, the Amazon-run space agency is underway giving SpaceX competition with a fully reusable first stage booster that can land itself after delivery of the New Shepard manned suborbital space capsule.
SpaceX’s manned Dragon also has been featured in illustrations done well enough to make you feel that you’re almost there and want a ride.
And finally there’s NASA’s SLS or Space Launch System. The rocket that’s a successor to both the legendary Saturn V and the Shuttle Program and is meant to take man and cargo far beyond our Earth’s orbit.
I have personally worked on this project, namely the interim second stage for the first one.
James wants to excite the public with the coming of this new rocket, and has done various images of this launch vehicle, with the Orion Manned Spacecraft riding the SLS to orbit. Like the Shuttle program, the SLS utilizes boosters, but they are longer 5-segment boosters as opposed to the Shuttle program’s 4-segment boosters.
Orion will carry on the legacy set by Apollo, with the capability of carrying more crew members, advanced glass-cockpit technology, and being able to stay in space longer.
James’ work also extends to unmanned probes and exploration satellites such the Cassini probe that successfully helped send back images of Titan’s surface and do extensive surveying and photographing of Saturn before recently completing it’s mission.
Same thing with illustrations of the Juno spacecraft over Jupiter sending back the clearest, most detailed images of the Solar System’s largest and most violent storm, The Great Red Spot.
And finally, the greatest aspiration of Spaceflight at the present time, . . . the Mission to Mars. It is likely that large spacecraft with nuclear engines will propel humans to the Red Planet, and use ship-borne technologies being tested on the ISS.
Looking at these images, do you sense the awe and wonder of Space yet? Works such as James’ are meant to do that. Great for the public to recapture their fancy and desire to explore the heavens. Also great for a Space Industry in transition now. With the move from government backing to commercial backing, it’s easy for Space Industry workers and veterans (not unlike myself) to get caught up in deadlines, deliverables, performance reviews, and other corporate concerns to the point that you can lose sight of what it’s all about.
For myself, not if I have anything to say about it. Perhaps things such as James Vaughn’s space illustrations, an Estes Model Rocket, a small RC drone, or other things will be instrumental in drawing future generations into the Space Age Craze, and possibly bring up the generation that will colonize the Red Planet, the Moon, or an Asteroid. And Neil Armstrong even said years back that “All great societies that explore grow in greatness and abilities for a better quality of life” due to the things learned from the exploration of space.
Special thanks to James Vaughn for his permission to post some of his illustrations. To see more of his work, visit his website or visit his Linkedin link here.
For The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski! 🙂
© Ben Faltinowski and The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, 2017, authorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ben Faltinowski and The Great Galactic Space Gimmick with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
NOTE: James Vaughn was the author of the illustrations seen in this article, and I give him full credit for these. I used his images by permission.
Lisa September 30, 2017
Love his work