[Updated pinned/intro post] I'm Mack Crawford, a 3d artist bringing the past, present, and future of spaceflight to life. I hope my work inspires someone out there

Triangle

Saturn II (INT-18) was a proposed derivative of Saturn V, eliminating the S-IC. A modified S-II would become the new stage 1, augmented by Titan SRBs. The study considered various configurations, with 5 or 7 J-2s, stretching the S-II, and 2 or 4 SRBs with 4, 5, or 7 segments

McDonnell Douglas's reusable Space Transportation System booster deploys a modified Saturn S-II upper stage on a heavy-lift cargo mission. The McD STS could fly with either a reusable orbiter, S-II, or S-IVB augmented with optional solid boosters

Launch of McDonnell Douglas's Space Shuttle proposal. The orbiter is carried to altitude aboard a winged flyback booster, which can also be used with a conventional upper stage for heavy uncrewed launches

Design evolution of the Blue Moon HLS (approximately to scale) Revised version

The Blue Moon Human Landing System, moments before touchdown on the lunar surface

Blue Moon Mk2 begins its deorbit burn over the moon

Design evolution of the Blue Moon HLS (approximately to scale)

These studies included orbital tugs that'd carry more payload than the fueled weight of an entire Starship stack. The ISS, if shown to scale in the first picture [just of one of the assembly tools], would be about half the size of one of the letters in the text

Are people just blind now or what?

Agena-D in flight, prior to fairing separation I wish Agena was still in service in an evolved form, like Centaur

My Copernicus Mars Transfer Vehicle model is now on CGTrader: cgtrader.com/3d-models/space…

Artemis 3 isn't the first time Orion has been proposed to complete its own LEO insertion rather than use DCSS

The ascent vehicle of a Mars lander redocks to the nadir port of Copernicus, as its crew prepare for the several-month trip back to Earth

People keep not believing me when I tell them that neither HLS, SLS, or Orion has been the main schedule problem for Artemis (2031 is overly optimistic for suits btw. The actual likely date is "never")

After completing Trans-Mars Injection, Copernicus jettisons a spent LH2 tank held inside a truss structure. The still-hot engines continue to vent hydrogen, passed through to cool them down following reactor shutdown

MTV Copernicus braking into Mars orbit, ahead of rendezvous with the lander that will take its crew to the surface

Ares V's 12 meter diameter payload fairing separates, exposing the propulsion module of a Copernicus Mars Transfer Vehicle on its way to orbit