Excerpts from a NASA/NASA contractor public info publication in my collection. This one, from North American Aviation, was tucked into newspapers across the US ahead of Apollo 4, the first flight test of the Saturn V, in November 1967. I post one of these in its entirety on my Patreon every Sunday.

The MKBS was a Soviet concept for a massive space station that would act as a central command hub for a whole ecosystem of orbital spacecraft (collectively known as MOK). It would be powered primarily by a nuclear generator and had rotating arms for artificial gravity.

Some renders I made of Mengzhou, China's lunar-capable crewed spacecraft. The second image includes the Lanyue lunar lander.

I'm reading "Secret Sentries in Space" by Philip J. Klass, written in 1970. He mentions an upcoming generation of secret SIGINT satellites based on a Hughes satellite bus, which matches the JUMPSEAT program just declassified this month.

Last year I wrote and published a story in Nocturne Magazine called "You Who Dwell in the Dust," which is informed by my (mostly negative) feelings about crewed Mars exploration. I wanted to share it again. Link below.

Psychedelic Astronaut Photography II

Last year I wrote and published a story in Nocturne Magazine called "You Who Dwell in the Dust," which is informed by my (mostly negative) feelings about crewed Mars exploration. I wanted to share it again. Link below.

MKBS, a proposed Soviet space station cancelled in 1974. This was to be the centerpiece of a broader initiative called MOK, which envisioned a whole system of orbital complexes with the MKBS acting as the central hub for crew transfers and control. (continued below)

The Virgo, my concept for a crewed Venus exploration vessel in the 2100s, based on the astrological glyph for the planet. The whole structure is spun, and the tether increases the overall radius for the inhabited sections while saving mass.

From 1973 to 1981 the Soyuz flew without solar panels. The model, known as the 7K-T, was a complete redesign of the spacecraft following the Soyuz 11 tragedy. Because the spacecraft would be used to ferry crews to the Salyut, it relied on battery power instead of the solar panel wings.

Orbital Transfer Vehicle: An 80s NASA concept for a space tug. It would use its engines to fly up to a higher orbit, then an aerobrake to slow down on the way back. After aerobraking it would rendezvous with a space station for refueling and to get ready for another run.

Ocelus Transfer Laboratory: my design for a spaceship based on the symbol for Mars. This would be used to fly a route to Mars and back, while testing long-term habitation technologies on the way, including large mirrors that you'd need for an O'Neill cylinder.

I have a coworker who worked in the foundery that made the steel track links for the transporter. It was his first job when he was 17 and now he's retirement age

Interesting fact about the transporter: there's no cruise control. This is being driven by hand.

Ocelus Transfer Laboratory, a design for the late-2100s, intended to test equipment for long term space habitation while making the run to Mars and back. Part of my ongoing project to design interplanetary spacecraft based on the astrology symbols for the planets.

Psychedelic astronaut photography.

An early Space Shuttle concept that included a piloted, reusable flyback launcher; a space shuttle launching a space shuttle.

My new short story "Peace-2" is now live at Bewildering Stories. It is the story of Vasily Dolgov, a Soviet aerospace engineer in the late 1980s working on Polyus, who is disturbed by the increasing militarization of space. www.bewilderingstories.com/issue1121/pe...

Human artists, use only one piece to convince people to follow you.

My new short story "Peace-2" is now live at Bewildering Stories. It is the story of Vasily Dolgov, a Soviet aerospace engineer in the late 1980s working on Polyus, who is disturbed by the increasing militarization of space. www.bewilderingstories.com/issue1121/pe...

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Happy New Year everyone.

2026 prediction: Dune 3 is going to be pretty good.

I picked a favorite of my renders from each month: Jan: Gemini Rescue concept (historical) Feb: Orion (stylized) March: MPD cargo spacecraft (NASA concept) April: Tongren joint circumlunar station (personal concept)

My new science fiction / space non-fiction reads for the year

A thread of the short stories I've gotten published this year and where to find them: (1/8)

Read my newest short story "Darkness Gathers Her Lambs" — some First Contact mayhem — in Apocalypse Confidential's giallo-themed CLOAK & DAGGER special. Now out. apocalypse-confidential.com/2025/12/21/a...

Ocelus Transfer Laboratory, a design for the late-2100s. With a crew of 40, it is designed to develop interplanetary technologies while making the run to Mars and back. This is part of my project to create spacecraft based on the planetary astrology signs, in this case: Mars.

Ah yeah, it's Friday

The Corvair space shuttle from The Simpsons "Deep Space Homer" (S5E15). Crew: Buzz Aldrin, Race Banyon, Homer Simpson.

Long-term CNSA plans include a nuclear-powered Neptune probe that will arrive in the 2040s. In addition to exploring Neptune, the probe will launch orbiters to centaurs or asteroids of interest en route. It does not have a name yet, but I think Jingwei would be a nice one.

ISS in an alternate-past: Two TKSs and an early Space Shuttle design docked to McDonnell Douglas's Growth Space Station.

The TKS was a Soviet design for a space station logistics craft that could carry a crew of three. It flew uncrewed test missions, but was canceled before it could fly in its intended role. The design was later reused for Mir and ISS space station modules.

Orion renders: 1) and 2), renders of the spacecraft 3) Size comparison between Orion and Apollo CSM 4) Tongren, my concept for a joint US-Chinese moon-orbiting space station

The TKS was a Soviet design for a space station logistics spacecraft, capable to carrying a crew of three. Although it never flew a crew in its intended role, the design was reworked into space station modules for the Mir and ISS.

TKS: Vladimir Chemolei's space station logistics craft. Designed to support Almaz military stations, it could carry a crew of three. Despite successful test flights, it never flew a crew. Rather, the design was reconfigured and used as Mir and ISS modules (Zarya and Nauka).

Historical unbuilt Gemini concepts: 1) Lunar Reconnaissance Gemini for mapping the lunar surface 2) Mission to rendezvous with the Pegasus micrometeorite satellite 3) Big Gemini space station logistics craft 4) Rescue Gemini for picking up stranded Apollo astronauts

The Avco 7969 was designed for the USAF Man in Space Soonest program of the late 50s. It used a deployable drag chute instead of retrorockets to initiate reentry. None of the MISS projects flew, and NASA was given the mission of sending up the first astronaut.

The Avco 7969 was an unusual, unflown late 50s USAF crewed spaceflight concept. Instead of retrorockets, it would use a steel mesh drag brake to slow the spaceraft for reentry. This had an advantage of saving weight and being simpler than a traditional retrorocket system.

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Renders from my alternate history project wherein I designed 80s military spacecraft based on the ships from Star Wars; a world where the Strategic Defense Initiative conformed more strictly to its nickname.

Zond 5 returns to Earth. Flown in September 1968, it was a test flight for a Soviet crewed circumlunar mission. Although that mission never happened, Zond 5 was the 1st spacecraft to make a circumlunar flight, making the two turtles it carried the 1st creatures to reach the moon.

While the crew of Apollo 8 were the first human beings to reach the moon and return, two Soviet turtles were the first Earth creatures to accomplish the feat. They were launch aboard Zond 5 on September 14, 1968 and splashed down on September 21st.

Happy Halloween! Check out my newest short story "You Who Dwell in the Dust" in Nocturne Magazine ( @nocturnemag.bsky.social ) It's about Mars. www.nocturnezine.com/issue-5

Happy Halloween from Salem! Some pictures I took this month.

Lunar Liner, sometime in the 2100s. The whole ship would spin around its axis to provide some artificial gravity to the six inflatable passenger modules. The ship would be boosted via space tug to the moon, then return to pick up more passengers before being boosted again.

"Saw" Autechre

Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and Voyager 2.

In Cassandra Peterson's @therealelvira.bsky.social memoir "Yours Cruelly, Elvira" she mentions a gig where she was hired to "[wear] a silver lamé bikini while standing in a 'Vanna White pose' next to the Voyager II spacecraft at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory." I need to see a picture of this.

USS Triangulum (NCC-82115), a Galathea-class science vessel (my own design). The Galathea-class is a demilitarized Defiant variant. When the Dominion War ended there were Defiants in various states of completion. Some were retrofitted to this specification.