The Art Of NASA – The Illustrations That Sold The Missions Art Book Review

Posted By yonghow on June 11th, 2021

Formed in 1958, NASA has long maintained a department of visual artists to depict the concepts and technologies created in humankind’s quest to explore the final frontier. Culled from a carefully chosen reserve of approximately 3,000 files deep in the NASA archives, the 200 artworks presented in this large-format edition provide a glimpse of NASA history like no other.

From space suits to capsules, from landing modules to the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and more recent concepts for space planes, The Art of NASA presents 60 years of American space exploration in an unprecedented fashion. All the landmark early missions are represented in detail—Gemini, Mercury, Apollo—as are post-Space Race accomplishments, like the mission to Mars and other deep-space explorations.

Every picture in The Art of NASA tells a special story. This collection of the rarest of the rare is not only a unique view of NASA history—it’s a fascinating look at the art of illustration, the development of now-familiar technologies, and a glimpse of what the space program might have looked like.

The Art Of NASA - The Illustrations That Sold The Missions Art Book Review

(above right) This particular piece by Pamela Lee immediately brings to mind the sci-fi films Ad Astra and also First Man.

The Art Of NASA - The Illustrations That Sold The Missions Art Book Review

(above) The unmistakable art work of Robert McCall for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 : A Space Odyssey.

The Art Of NASA - The Illustrations That Sold The Missions Art Book Review

I discovered this art book by pure chance after seeing a recommendation posted on my twitter stream; I had a good feeling it would be a decent publication but the quality of the illustrations and art work really exceeded all my expectations, and I’m really glad I picked it up. Coupled with the insightful and often interesting text, this is an excellent volume to not only marvel at the fantastic art, but also learn a thing or two about the history and stories of NASA. Highly recommended.

“The Art Of NASA – The Illustrations That Sold The Missions Art Book” book details :

– Dimensions – 12.13 x 0.88 x 12.25 inches
– Hard cover, 192 pages
– Full color, In English Language