After describing early cosmology, the authors move through the first theoretical and fictional descriptions of permanent space-based structures, the early days of space travel, the first working stations, and a longer look at the International Space Station. NASA project manager Kitmacher, science writer Miller (Aliens: Past, Present, Future), and space historian Pearlman deliver a generously illustrated crash course in the history, present, and future of space stations. Space Stations is a beautiful and captivating history of the idea and the reality of the space station from the nineteenth century to the present day. Throughout, Space Stations also charts the fascinating depiction of space stations in popular culture, whether in the form of children's toys, comic-book spacecraft, settings in science-fiction novels, or the backdrop to TV series and Hollywood movies. The book examines cutting-edge developments in government and commercial space stations, including NASA's Deep Space Habitats, the Russian Orbital Technologies Commercial Space Station, and China's Tiangon program. Engrossing narrative and striking images explore not only the spacecraft themselves but also how humans experience life aboard them, addressing everything from the development of efficient meal preparation methods to experiments in space-based botany. This lavishly illustrated book explains the development of space stations from the earliest fictional visions through historical and current programs-including Skylab, Mir, and the International Space Station-and on to the dawning possibilities of large-scale space colonization. Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space takes the reader deep into the heart of past, present, and future space stations, both real ones and those dreamed up in popular culture. Space stations represent both the summit of space technology and, possibly, the future of humanity beyond Earth. A rich visual history of real and fictional space stations, illustrating pop culture's influence on the development of actual space stations and vice versa

Dead space station concept art