S99-04190 (1997) --- A massive, dirty snowball the size of a mountain plows through the Solar System, venting water vapor as it begins its inbound loop around the Sun. The proposed Champollion spacecraft lander anchors to the irregular surface and collects both surface and core samples. After transferring the samples and collecting other data, the ascent stage departs to rendezvous with the orbiting Earth return stage. This image produced for NASA by Pat Rawlings, (SAIC). Technical concepts for NASA's Exploration Office, Johnson Space Center (JSC). Note: NASA currently has no formal plans for a human expedition to Mars or the Moon.
This image and others displayed may not reflect the hardware and overall concept of possible visits to either of those celestial bodies. However, the art work represented here serves as a comprehensive study of various concepts and ideas developed as possibilities over a period of years. The renderings were accomplished by NASA and/or NASA-commissioned artists.
