The Colonization of Mars

An assignment for my Magazine Illustration class about the plausibility of a colony being built on Mars. I was pretty excited to do some space oriented pieces, and more specifically, ones addressing the realistic possibilities of human expansion throughout the solar system. The other space images I've produced this year, namely my thesis work, haven't been limited by any realistic parameters - which is fun - but thinking within the limitations of real life for this assignment was fun as well.

I obviously took some liberties in design and aesthetic, but at the same time I wanted the vehicles and buildings to have a look derivative of technologies existing today. The Discovery Space Shuttle, which was actually retired from service earlier this month, was a source of inspiration for the shuttle in the last image, while the writings on antimatter-fusion rockets by author Charles R. Pellegrino influenced the design of the Orbiter in the first image.