Riding The Fire

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Mars Settlement Entry-Vehicle Gas-Core separation.

Artwork featured in Issue 34 of 3D Art Direct Magazine Link here

Seen from above externally mounted Gas Core open cycle nuclear thermal rockets used for first stage deceleration, stepping down the Entry-Vehicle's velocity from hypersonic speeds to sub-mach velocity, separate from the Entry-Vehicle, leaving wild exhaust plumes and an expanding cloud generated by the separation pyrotechnics. Near burn-out the rockets fly in a wild tumble. Smoke trails from the blackened and scorched surface of the aero-shell, the heat shield can be seen glowing white to red hot from the heat of its passage through the Martian atmosphere. Aero-shell and Lander will fly free for several more seconds before cutting-charges separate heat shield and aero-shell from the landing craft, releasing it from the webbing that has cocooned it during its month long transit from Earth. From that point on hydrogen/oxygen chemical rockets will guide the lander through the second stage of its powered descent.

Image is part of a future historical setting, see my journal entry Orion's Arm future history A Synopsis. A Timeline Graph is to be found here: Timeline.

Background is a crop of the Valles Marineris THEMIS mosaic, courtesy NASA/JPL.

All models are my own creations, constructed in Bryce 6.3 and rendered in Bryce 7 Pro.

Mars Settlement Entry, Descent, Landing Sequence:

Propulsion Module/Entry Vehicle Separation

Piercing the Veil

Flight Control

A Sound of Thunder

Cue The Pyrotechnics

Riding The Fire

Over Noctis Labyrinthus

Terminal Descent

Post Landing:

Martian Dusk