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NASA Illustrations for the Lunar Space Program
"I
believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before
this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely
to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive
to mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of space;
and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
John F. Kennedy
Special Joint Session of Congress
May 25, 1961
Listed here are images created by the illustrators at Visual Concepts Inc., Houston, Texas in 1966 for the NASA Lunar Space Landing program. It must be noted that each illustration involved the efforts of various artists, each painting different sections of the drawing. For the most part, my primary contribution was adding details to the various crafts. Below are links to some of the NASA illustrations:
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Further comments: These concept illustrations were commissioned at the beginning of the program, primarily for promotional and educational purposes. As the project developed, the images were also modified to reflect the latest findings of the Gemini and later manned flight programs. For example, all of the jet exhausts were discovered to have an "umbrella" of gas surrounding the flame itself. These changes had to be made as information was upgraded. Also, the Saturn 5 was finally deployed as the booster for the Lunar attempt; most of the descriptions refer to engine stages. Click HERE for the history of the Saturn program By Wernher Von Braun.
*note: Thanks to Colin A. Fries, Contract Archivist, Beacon Fusion Joint Venture (BFJV), NASA HQ History Program Office @ http://history.nasa.gov for their assistance and diligence to keep these archives online.
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All Design elements, html code and Graphics © Joel R. Cheves
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