Thread by @LRonLacy

#OTD in 1946
Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986) “Trip to the Moon: Artist Paints Journey by Rocket.”
Life, 4 March 1946
🧵👇
‘The idea of a trip to the moon, an irresistible combination of high adventure and escape . . . has always fascinated the people of the earth . . . In this...’

century . . . men have seriously thought of getting to the moon by rocket. Shown here is the scientifically realistic rocket journey conceived by [Bonestell], a Hollywood special-effects artist and amateur astronomer whose paintings of Saturn's moons [were] published in [1944].

'STARTING FOR THE MOON, the rocket climbs 200 miles above the US east coast. Inside the earth's shallow atmosphere...it flies like an ordinary airplane at a comparatively low speed. ...Long Island. ...New York City. ...the Great Lakes.'

‘OVER EUROPE AT SUNSET, 600 miles up in its climb above the earth, the rocket uses the full power of its atomic-fueled engines. Below is the south coast of England. The boot of Italy stretches toward the
horizon.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket

‘THE ROCKET FALLS toward the moon with its motors shut off. Since its occupants fall at the same speed, they are able to climb out weightlessly in special suits.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship #nuclearspacecraft

‘CIRCLING THE MOON, the rocket passes 200 miles above the crater Albategnius. Seen from the earth, Albategnius is in the center of the moon's visible disk.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship #nuclearspacecraft

‘DESCENDING TO 30 MILES, the rocket passes over Aristarchus, the moon's brightest crater. Fissure at the top is known on lunar maps as Schroeter's Canyon.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship #lunartopography #nuclearspacecraft

‘COMING IN TO LAND, the rocket descends over 10,000-foot Mt. Pico. The bleak landscape is entirely of broken rock, since there is no water to erode river valleys.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship #lunartopography

‘ON THE MOON'S SURFACE the tiny figures of the rocket's occupants (at the lower right) view their earth, shining brilliantly in the lunar night. ...
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship #lunartopography

Since the earth is a better reflecting surface than the moon, its light is 20 times brighter than moonlight. For comparative size, the earth is shown near the belt of the constellation Orion.'
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #spaceship #lunartopography

‘CLIMBING THE RIM of Theophilus, the rocket explorers look down on the crater floor from the escarpment at upper left. The opposite wall of the crater is 64 miles away and 18,000 feet high. ...
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #spaceship #lunartopography

The broken peaks in the center rise 8,000 feet. The explorers climb easily in heavy suits because of the moon's small gravitational pull.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship #lunartopography

‘THE ROCKET RETURNS to the earth after taking off from the moon. Setting beyond the earth is the sun, surrounded by its corona and zodiacal light. At the top is the moon, 240,000 miles from the earth. ...
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship

Ahead of the rocket is the Mediterranean Sea. The rocket makes several circuits of the earth to slow down to landing speed.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #rockets #spaceship #SpaceTravel #nuclearspacecraft

‘EVERYTHING FLOATS without weight as the rocket falls toward the earth (in distance). Transparent globes are water which has drifted out of pitcher and glass.’

‘PREPARING TO LAND, the rocket flies eastward 50 miles above San Francisco Bay. Back in the atmosphere, #rocket's wings support it in low-speed landing.’
#ChesleyBonestell #spaceart #moonmission #astronautics #moonrocket #spaceship #SpaceTravel #SanFrancisco #SanFranciscoBay