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Design

15 Fictional Spacecrafts We’d Like to Call Home

By Claire Cottrell on

Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s first go at sci-fi since his epic cult classic Blade Runner took a genre-defining look at the modern metropolis of the future, hits theaters this Friday, and we couldn’t be more excited. Even though we’re no closer to a world overrun by flying cars and human-like androids, we still fantasize about a day when Venus is a viable getaway option and adorable lifeforms from other planets drop by to chat over a bag of Reese’s Pieces.

To satisfy our insatiable curiosity for all things futuristic, we thought we’d take a look at the interiors of some of the most notable space stations, space hotels, and intergalactic battleships in film and television and ponder the question: could we ever really live in space? If space architecture looks anything like the stunning, luxurious, and playful production design of these decidedly livable spacecrafts, our answer is a definite yes. From the decadent, spacious interiors of The Fifth Element’s Fhloston Paradise Hotel to the well-executed mix of old and new on the creepy Solaris space station, click through to check out the best of livable design in places not on this Earth. Maybe Richard Branson has the right idea after all! … Read More

Photography

Gorgeous Photos of National Parks Seen From Space

By Emily Temple on

This morning, we’re feeling a little bit patriotic, especially after The Rumpus led us to this great series of photographs of American national parks taken from space over at Wired. Some of the space snaps are obscenely gorgeous, with rich colors and dynamic patterns spreading out to create a natural tapestry that has us searching for our hiking boots and, um, making sure to recycle. Oh beautiful for spacious skies, indeed. Click through to check out some of our favorite airborne photos of national parks, and if your adventuresome spirit is less than sated, head here to see even more. … Read More

Art

Beautiful Victorian-Era Illustrations of Space

By Caroline Stanley on

Considering that NASA just released the highest resolution image of Earth that the world has ever seen, it’s kind of hard to imagine that once upon a time we had to rely on artists to show us what the planets might look like. While these early illustrations were based on astronomical observations, and in many cases, are surprisingly detailed given how crude the available technology, we think they function even better as works of art. Click through to check out a selection of recently-digitized drawings by 19th-century artist (and Harvard College Observatory employee) E.L. Trouvelot, and head over to LiveScience to view the full gallery. … Read More

Music

The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt to Star in a Live Video Game

By Emily Temple on

We’ve been having warm and fuzzy feelings about Stephin Merritt ever since the Magnetic Fields’ ’90s revival track “Andrew in Drag” hit the internet, but turns out the oddball frontman just as keen on the future as he is on the past. In collaboration with D.I.Y. video arcade collective Babycastles, the Museum of… Read More

Design

Vintage-Inspired Exoplanetary Travel Posters

By Caroline Stanley on

Spotted by Coudal, this series of posters by Netherlands-based designer Vincent Vermeij has us contemplating a future vacation to Gliese 581D. Inspired by the idea that life beyond the Earth is increasingly likely, and the hope that these distant planets remain as pristine as ours was before we left our ecological footprint, Kong started mulling over the idea of exoplanetary travel. “It would be like the time that each holiday was a trip to the unknown,” he writes. “A discovery. As on these posters from the 1930s, countries and cities that you knew only of images and hearsay. The images were innocent and exotic. Pure.” And perhaps, even more importantly: “Maybe the beauty of those exoplanets make us realize that our own Earth is just as them, a floating oasis in time and space. We should treasure this paradise called Earth.” Click through to check out the collection, and if you like over to see, grab a print of your favorite poster at Society6. … Read More

Photography

Mesmerizing Time-Lapse Photos from Space

By Alison Nastasi on

The crew from several expeditions on-board the International Space Station shot a series of stunning images that have been edited into a mesmerizing time-lapse video by Michael König. The progression shows the crew’s surreal orbit over earth at approximately 350 kilometers, and it’s truly breathtaking. The night flight takes you across Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia, above Central Africa and the Middle East, and beyond. Music from Jan Jelinek (“Do Dekor”) helps set the mood, but the photographs definitely speak for themselves. Drop into sweet infinity below. … Read More

Film

Video of the Day: Time-Lapse of Earth at Night from the International Space Station

By Emily Temple on

If you’re feeling anything less than completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the world we live in, boy, have got the cure for what ails you. This gorgeous five-minute-long HD time lapse of the earth was created from a sequence of photographs taken with a special low-light 4K-camera by the crew onboard the International Space Station between August to October, 2011, and it really is phenomenal. Watch it in full screen and you’ll feel as though you’re floating over our big blue planet, each flash of light a beautiful hint of humanity. For more information, check out the video’s Vimeo page. … Read More

Film

Beautiful Time-Lapses of the Clearest Night Sky You’ve Ever Seen

By Emily Temple on

We don’t know about you, but these phenomenal time-lapse videos, each of a single night at 5000 meters altitude at the ALMA observatory on the Chajnantor plateau, in the II Region of Chile, remind us of our impossible tininess in the universe. Created by José Francisco Salgado, the short films allow the viewer to experience the earth’s movement as well as catch a glimpse of the Milky Way in all its glory. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is “the world’s largest astronomical project in existence,” an international partnership between the scientific communities of East Asia, Europe, North America and Chile that seeks to study the origins of the universe. Click through to watch the videos — we suggest fullscreen. … Read More

Film

Video of the Day: Rare NASA Time-Lapse of Stars Being Born

By Caroline Stanley on

We’ll admit that ever since Wes Anderson used “Starálfur” in the background of that scene from The Life Aquatic, just hearing a few seconds of the beautiful track instantly transports us to another world. So, it’s only fitting that Gizmodo chose the same Sigur Rós song for this never-before-seen clip, which features a series of… Read More

Art

Soviet Cosmonaut Sci-Fi Illustrations From 1967

By Marina Galperina on

Happy World Cosmonautics Day, comrades! On the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight by astro-gent Yuri Gagarin, we’d like to share with you fantastical vintage illustrations from a sixties tome The Stars Are Awaiting Us by A. Sokolov and first Soviet space-walker A. Leonov. The book began with an account of Leonov’s actual mission and illustrations of his cosmic showboating and then spins off into the captivating “future.”

Minimalist space stations are constructed by astronauts in micro-rockets! Humans settle down and get industrious and increasingly cozy on the Moon! The illustrator’s flights of fancy get increasingly intergalactic and psychedelic with abstract physics, gaseous alien predators and anti-matter, oh my! Until, finally the narrator asks, “Why don’t we space-jump into the anti-world?” Why not, indeed. Check out our gallery of paintings that defined a trend in Soviet space-art, topped stamps in Cuba, and still deserve their cult following. … Read More