William-Black on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/william-black/art/Flyby-Orbiter-Mission-Rendezvous-708668595William-Black

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Flyby-Orbiter Mission: Rendezvous

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Artwork created for David S.F. Portree's article A New Step in Spaceflight Evolution: To Mars by Flyby-Landing Excursion Mode (1966).

The entire series of images, 10 in all for this article, are available in my Real Designs gallery.

Join me on Patreon and the full resolution artwork along with extra art not published in the article, and a large collection of other artworks, can be yours for just dollars a month. Learn more about becoming a patron here William Black on Patreon.

Sixteen days after Orbiter capture into Mars orbit, the Flyby Spacecraft raced past Mars. The Orbiter crew ejected their spacecraft's solar array and ignited its engines to catch up with their ride home. In this image, the two astronauts on board the Flyby Spacecraft (left) have turned on rendezvous lights. The Orbiter engines glow red after the "chase" maneuver. Its antenna is in "spacewalk support" position so it can serve as a traverse boom should an emergency spacewalk to the Flyby Spacecraft be needed. The Orbiter halts near the Flyby Spacecraft, then its crew steps outside to collect film cassettes from the instrument pallets. The Flyby Spacecraft crew records the spacewalk and inspects the Orbiter exterior for damage that might prevent docking. The Orbiter astronauts stow the recovered cassettes inside their spacecraft, then dock with the Flyby Spacecraft. The reunited FLEM astronauts transfer personal belongings and film cassettes to the Flyby Spacecraft, then discard the Orbiter.
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