When I found this uber-realistic representation of THE FUTURE OF NUTRITION, naturally my mind turned to that other space food. No no, not this kind of space food. I mean that kind. The Star Trek kind. Quivering blue cubes. Extremely colorful, non-food-looking food.

Except that sometimes, even on Google Images, you strike out. “Space food”? Too general. “Star Trek food”? The USS Enterprise made of various cured meat products. Also some waffles. “Star Trek space food”? More of the same. “Star Trek scary space food” — SURELY THAT MUST DO THE TRICK. But alas. (However, Spock says hi.)

So instead, you get this. You’re welcome.

Addendum: Even with the refined, precise search term “star trek tos scary space food”, I came up with a lot of TOS stills (none with food, scary or otherwise), someone’s bruised foot, and an animated cartoon of a cat eating a cookie. Bravo, Intarwebs, bravo.

Space food image (top) courtesy of x-ray delta one.

35 years ago, on September 17, NASA unveiled the space shuttle Enterprise to the delight of her TV crew. (Why Bones, you look so STYLIN’ in those gold bell-bottom slacks!)

In 1976, NASA’s space shuttle Enterprise rolled out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities and was greeted by NASA officials and cast members from the ‘Star Trek’ television series. From left to right they are: NASA Administrator Dr. James D. Fletcher; DeForest Kelley, who portrayed Dr. “Bones” McCoy on the series; George Takei (Mr. Sulu); James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott); Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); series creator Gene Rodenberry; an unnamed NASA official; and, Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov).
CREDIT: NASA

SPACE.com has a nice article about the Enterprise, a prototype and test vehicle that never felt the chill of space, but paved the way for the rest of the fleet!

The space shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free after being released from NASA’s 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft over Rogers Dry Lakebed during the second of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Center, in Edwards, Calif., as part of the shuttle program’s Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). The tests were conducted to verify aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for orbital flights with the Space Shuttle Columbia, which began in April 1981.
CREDIT: NASA

Image courtesy of Plaid Stallions

Okay, this space playground is AWESOME, and I WANT ONE. See the rest here.

And because it does seem amusingly reminiscent of one spaceship in particular, I can’t help myself:

KIRK: This… playground… reminds me of something. What… is it? Report.

UHURA: Captain, several children are hailing us.

SPOCK: Human children behave so illogically.

BONES: [watching children at play] DAMNIT Jim, somebody’s going to get hurt!

SCOTTY: Cap’n! Tha’ ship’s not MOVIN’, sir. It’s just SITTIN’ there, anchored to tha’ GROUND!

CHEKOV: Did you know, playgrounds were invented in Russia?

Star Trek, image © Shusei Nagaoka

Another hat-tip to Sci-Fi-O-Rama for showcasing some of the 1970s-80s artwork of Shusei Nagaoka. (Unknowingly I featured his ELO album cover art quite a while ago. He has quite the funky, spacey portfolio going, as far as album covers go!) There is an amazingly hi-res selection of Nagaoka-san’s art at Pink Tentacle — don’t miss it! (It was hard to restrain myself to just two images, I admit. I may yet publish more.)

Space Flower (illustration for Tsukuba Expo ‘85), 1984, image © Shusei Nagaoka

I’m sure you’ll agree that this is quite possibly the BEST PICTURE EVER.

…whatdoyouMEAN you can’t tell what it is? Isn’t it obvious?? No? Well, you’ll just have to go and see for yourself. It is very clear that I can’t post this image on my website, so enjoy the 50px mosaic filter. I know I do.

Want a hint before you click? You’re the cautious type, I can tell.

Remember the rising of the starship Enterprise from the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, in the recent motion picture Star Trek, with magnificent Saturn and its rings dramatically coming into view in the background? It was a scene so highly regarded that its final shot was featured on the cover of Cinefex, the main motion picture industry magazine for visual effects.

Legally, with-permission-ly, “high resolution, digital shots from that scene” are exclusively available right over here. DO NOT MISS THIS DOWNLOAD. I am talking fully-detailed at over 6,000 pixels wide and tall Enterprise/Saturn yummy goodness. It definitely makes the most beautiful *desktop* ever, if I do say so myself.

Enjoy.

The Iconfactory has long been one of my favorite haunts, and yet again they’ve delivered, with official desktop wallpapers and icons from the new Star Trek movie. I mean… really, who wouldn’t want these on their desktop??

Above, yesterday’s APOD in beautiful shades of blue; below, today’s NASA Image of the Day in beautiful shades of trippy-reflection-of-shuttle-controls.

Hyperion looks like a sponge. If they sold Hyperion-brand dish sponges, I’d buy ‘em. I admit it.

Colors in image below are less visible than they appear. Still, I like it:

Finally, if you haven’t seen Lunch Bag Art, you’re really missing out; he featured the new Star Trek movie on May 11:

I was fortunate to see Dave Archer in person as a teen, demonstrating his million-volt reverse-glass space painting. At that time (mid-1990s), his art was all over Star Trek: The Next Generation and I spent almost all my off-time at his booth, looking at his originals (I was working at my mother’s art booth at the same exposition.)

I think what I like so much about his art is the contrast between the clean, detailed planets and the wispy, chaotic gas clouds produced by the electricity. It’s ordered and random, precise and yet running wild, brightly colorful at times and yet so subtle. It still reminds me most of Star Trek, because Dave Archer was all over EVERYTHING in the franchise (or so it seemed at the time; and at that time I was very into ST:TNG), but that’s just a small part of his fantastic portfolio of work. Check it out here!