The Art and Graphics of Nick Stevens. Available for hire.I specialise in unbuilt space projects, and the spacecraft of the Soviet Union.
Spacecraft from Russia and the Soviet Union
Ok, this is bound to be highly subjective! But for what it’s worth, here are the ten most beautiful rockets, in my opinion.
The shape is simple but the paint job wins the prize. New Zealand based, which is why we have what is effectively a rocket wearing an All Blacks rugby shirt.
I note they also claim to have the most beautiful launch site in the world, and having visited New Zealand, I am willing to accept that.
My latest commercial project is the Cosmic Exploration Card Decks, which is running as a Kickstarter.
Each card in the deck features a spacecraft, modelled for accuracy and detail. We have had test prints done, and the whole thing is ready to go to print as soon as, (if?), the kickstarter completes successfully.
I’m pleased to announce that we are going ahead with a second edition of the book, “N-1 for the Moon and Mars”.
If you would like to be kept informed of progress, I have set up a newsletter that will report details, and share some early views of new content. You can sign up here:
https://t.co/5h6ZQQz22c?amp=1
I expect to post short updates every week or two.
The first edition has been pretty much impossible to get hold of for some time, with stupid money being asked for a copy.
Continue reading “N-1 For the Moon & Mars, a second edition.”
I’ve set up a shop on Fine Art America, where you can buy my work in various formats, from prints to shower curtains and duvet covers!
Here’s the link:
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/2-nick-stevens.html
My shop on Fine Art America Continue reading “My Art is now for sale on Fine Art America”
In 2018 I was doing an international commute, and wanted something I could work on effectively while travelling. Eurostar is pretty comfortable, (particularly in standard premium), and the new laptop was seriously powerful, but I’ve never found it easy to work with a touch pad, and there wasn’t enough space for a mouse.
So I came up with the idea of tidying up the various real spacecraft I have worked on, and assembling sets of images rendered perspective free, to a standard scale, which would make it easy to clearly show the different sizes of the various spacecraft.
This soon became the Rocket Library project!
(Click for a larger version.) Continue reading “The Rocket Library”
I visited the UK’s National Space Centre, partly to get better references for a CGI “Skylark” rocket, and thought it was worth a blog entry. I’ll be publishing reference photos, for the benefit of other modellers, in a separate post.
It’s located on the outskirts of Leicester, and a bit of a pain to get to if you are not familiar with the local public transport system. Easy to spot by it’s distinctive shape, dominated by the Rocket Tower.
The National Space Centre Web Site Continue reading “The National Space Centre, Leicester”
Before I get started I must give credit. The illustrations here are largely by Galina Balashova. Little known in the west, she was responsible for the interior design of pretty much every Soviet spacecraft. Combining Art and Architectural skills, it was her job to make the spacecraft a productive, pleasant environment.
If you have any interest in this area, the book “Galina Balashova, Architect of the Soviet Space Program” is absolutely essential, and is packed with elegant and informative paintings and drawings.
It was not realised at the time, but the Soviet “Lunokhod” robotic moon rover was also a key component of the plans to put a cosmonaut onto the Moon.
Here’s how the mission sequence would work:
Lunokhod would provide close up examination of prospective landing sites for a manned mission. This required a “Proton” (UR-500) class launcher.
Continue reading “The role of Lunokhod in Soviet Union manned lunar program.”
Here’s the historical information on the nuclear Soyuz variants I have been able to find. My Russian is not great, in some cases the translation is awkward or not completely clear. Nick
The draft design of the rockets started on the basis of the Decree of June 30, 1958. Two bureaus, OKB-456, and OKB-670 were involved. The design chosen was based on direct heating of the working fluid, and it’s ejection through the nozzle. An open core reactor, in other words.
OKB-456 is now known as NPO Energomash, and at the time was run by the brilliant but prickley rocket engine designer, V P Glushko. OKB-670 was run by M M Bondariuk. Bondariuk had been working on nuclear ammonia rockets since 1954. Continue reading “RN-2, the Nuclear R7, The Historical Reference Information”
Not that long ago I got an excellent book by Alexander Schliadinski, who provided the core information for “N-1 for the Moon and Mars“.
Continue reading “Nuclear Soyuz – ЖРД / ЯРД, an unflown design”
