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Orbital Platform by ~newepoch:iconnewepoch:

Categories Traditional Art > Drawings > Sci-Fi

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©2004-2010 ~newepoch
:iconnewepoch:

Artist's Comments

Just what is it about this drawing that has so many people excited? The piece was designed to be a 'wow' and it looks like I was right on target. :)

There is about 40 hours work in this one. The drawing has NOT been digitally enhanced. What I love about this drawing is it is very much a DRAWING. The detail is everywhere yes, but I have not 'redered' the object to make it look 'realistic'. The lines from which it is made are still recognisable as lines.

As for planning... this piece came together on the paper rather spontainiously. What I do is lett my imagination and hands rip, and then inject as many craft tricks as I can on the fly. It feels a bit like acrobatic water skieing - control amid chaos - its quite exhausting.

Yes I use a .03 micron pen. I also use a 0.02 and an 0.01. I am moving away from single size pen work and swapping to heaver pens on the wing, to block out large area and shorten total drawing time.

I have long been convinced that large scale structures in space will be 'grown' rather than built. The lack of up or down in space has always facinated me. I get a bit tried of 'easy ways' around this like 'artifical gravety'. Even spin generated gravety has profound limitations in space that many people are not aware off.... it is certainly not the easy fix that sci fi movies make it out to be. The gravety does not work at all like it does no earth - things 'fall' in curves. Long term exposure to spin gravety does wierd things to human perception.

Actually I am rather pesamistic about the future of humans in space.

Take this contruction platform for example. The ship docked is probably a generational interstellar colony ship and is probably several kilometres long. It would take years to build - a long time for something to go wrong. Much of that time both the ship and the station would be an orbiting bomb just waiting for an accident to happen. There is no way a structure of this size could be made in earth orbit. It would just be too much of a risk. The thing is way too big to burn up in the atmosphere... its a city killer.

Such a project could only be done in orbit around Mars or one of the Lunar Legrange positions between earth and the moon. Somewhere where the whole thing could be kicked into a solar intercept tradjectory if the whole show went pare shaped. The interplanetary colony needed to service such a construction project would be enormous. I don't think humans are going to live in space unless the human body is genetically engineered to deal with the long term consequences of microgravety and radiation. Such modifications would probably make the individuals unable to live on earth. If 'we' leave Earth, we are going to need to make at least one new type of human.

Maybe all of the 'aliens' SF has imagined over the years will be of our own making in the far future.

Comments


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:iconabstractthreat:
~AbstractThreat Aug 16, 2007, 9:22:46 AM
I really like the composition of this. The perspective and movement of it is very interesting as well.

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:iconnewepoch:
~newepoch Sep 4, 2007, 5:29:54 AM
Thank you... I still feel surprised at the effect this drawing has on me.

--
Death ain't the career move it used to be!
The Forbidden Library [link]
Books Burnt by the Nazis [link]
Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code) [link]
:iconlomaxart:
~lomaxart Mar 21, 2006, 4:56:16 AM
Real great drawing and hard work.

--
[link]
:iconnewepoch:
~newepoch Mar 21, 2006, 6:16:02 AM
Thank you so much. Its very nice to hear someone highlight the work involved in my kind of drawing.

--
Death ain't the career move it used to be!
The Forbidden Library [link]
Books Burnt by the Nazis [link]
Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code) [link]
:iconpatgoltz:
*PatGoltz Jun 3, 2005, 11:15:25 PM
By the way, I think you are right about how we would have to colonize space. I favor building something at a LaGrange point, and I don't see offhand why we shouldn't be able to learn to live with things falling in curves! Maybe there are other problems I know nothing about and haven't anticipated, but it seems it would be OK. The radiation would be a bigger problem. I don't know that we can genetically engineer humans in that way, though, nor am I sure we should try. I have concluded that space is going to be more of a barrier than we'd like to think. Since I think we are alone (no other sapient race out there that would welcome trade with us), we wouldn't gain much by looking for an advance race with technology they'd be willing to share. This WAS a dream of mine when I was a teenager. But it's still fun to imagine.

--
Soli Deo Gloria.

Comments in other languages welcome.

Memberships listed in my journal: [link]

Seghea: [link]
Extraplicity: [link]
Antelope Art: [link]
:iconnewepoch:
~newepoch Jun 14, 2005, 5:29:27 AM
Apparently curved gravety does nasty things to the brain over time.

At the moment the biggest health problems are bone decalciphication and muscil attrophy.

Radiation is relatively simple to sheald in theory.... however long term low level exposure is a can of worms.

The real killer is going to be serious injury in a weightless environment. Mircro gravety changes the way blood movies around the body so it collects in the abdomen. This is going to effect the behavour of anesthetics, the immune system, blood clotting factors, oxygen distribution and tissue regeneration. A two year mission to Mars means we need to invent space surgery, if it is possible.

--
Death ain't the career move it used to be!
The Forbidden Library [link]
Books Burnt by the Nazis [link]
Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code) [link]
:iconpatgoltz:
*PatGoltz Jun 14, 2005, 6:56:13 AM
I hadn't heard that curved gravity is any different from any other kind. I assume you mean gravity that comes from spinning the object you are in. I agree with you about the health problems. Some kind of artificial gravity might be a great boon. But I'm not sure the human race was meant to do any more than merely explore space. The speed of light limitation looks to be a hard and fast rule. So far, they haven't found any other place in the universe that is even remotely hospitable to life.

It makes sense what you say about the blood. Normally in the human body the blood is pumped outward by the heart, but it is returned by muscular activity. Without gravity, the pattern of circulation will be messed up. It could lead to severe damage to the extremeties. But offhand I don't see why it would change things like the blood clotting factors.

I had found out that a lot of admin people are volunteers. I don't know how many. I don't worry too much about it because they're making it work, and the people want to serve. I would have time to do it if I were in a better position financially, if I wanted to.

--
Soli Deo Gloria.

Comments in other languages welcome.

Memberships listed in my journal: [link]

Seghea: [link]
Extraplicity: [link]
Antelope Art: [link]
:iconnewepoch:
~newepoch Jun 16, 2005, 7:52:07 PM
Yes... in a spinning artifical gravety environment you can throw a dart at right angled from the board and it would curve through the air and hit the board. I can see this would play havoc with the middle ear over long periods of time, and probably lead to a form of sea sickness, even halucinations and intoxication. Perhaps the brain would compensate... I don't know.

I don't think the human race as we are is built to live in space.... but we may well have no choice in matter if we want to survive in the long term.

If you have spiritual probems with genertic engineering, it is important to remember that the structures of nature are just sitting there waiting to be understood. If something was in fact a 'no go' zone, the chances are it would be impossible to understand.

The list of known planetary systems is growing every day... and who says we even need planets?

I think blood clotting factors may be effected by micrograventy for the same reason that bone growth is effected. My reasoning is that micrograventy is going to effect bone marrow. Also sucessful blood clotting is dependant in part on circulation and blood pressure. In the Vietnam war, helicopter dust offs got a lot of people to hospitals that never had a chance in previous wars. A significant phenomena encountered in these patents were their extreem sensitivity to blood pressure. Conventional wizdom recomended blood pressure and body temerature be normalised ASAP, but this often stimulated massive internal bleeding in patents with multipule organ damage.

Today, seriously banged up patents are being kept longer, cooler and with lower BP between emergancy surgery and reconstructive sergery. This is attempting to avoid the rupture of life saving blood clots, and a massive build up of white blood cells in damaged tissues which leads to oxygen starvation and the dreaded 'multipule organ failure'


My comment about admin volenteers is now part of my signature. It is designed to rase awareness that admin people are doing their jobs out of love for dA. I hope with will make people think twice about giving admin a hard time.

--
Death ain't the career move it used to be!
The Forbidden Library [link]
Books Burnt by the Nazis [link]
Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code) [link]
:iconnewepoch:
~newepoch Jun 21, 2005, 4:13:02 AM
Do you mean the background for the image, or my backgroud information in general?
The first is just pure imaginary improvisation - I just look at the pic and make up a story.
The second is I have an excelent memory for TV and radio documentaries, and I fill in the gaps with my reading.

I believe what deciding what is economical is probelmatic because economics is not a science. I have never argreed with mainstream definitions of econcomic value because they are so narrow.

I agree totally with your concerns over premature exploitation of genetic engineering in agreculture. The agrichemical companies are trying to pull the same bullshit they did with the so called 'green revolution' of the 1960s. These corporations have a disgusting human rights track record and are beneith contempt. They keep saying the stuff is safe for human consumption... I don't doubt this because DNA is destroyed in cooking BUT its the cross polonisation weed issue that realy scares me. You are right, they are rushing ahead at least 50 years too soon.

I am also not happy about corporations patenting genetic material. I have a big problem with corporate science in general. I'd much rather see research dollars spent in state run organisations like Australia's CSIRO. I'd much rather see medical patents owned by government insitutions and NPOs on behalf of all humanity. I'd like to see transparent accountability for the cost of research and thus the cost of new drugs. The corporations champion the free market, but they set up reseach labs as isolated command economies, populated by scientists motivated by curiosity, and who would often work for nothing if they had to.

I am fairly happy with the use of genetic engineering for medicine. The benefits of antibiotics are hard to ignore. However I do have evolutionary concerns over the artifical selection of superbugs though irresponsible 'preventive' use of antibiotics over the past decades AND in their use in the meat industry.
In Australia we stopped Monsanto from planting comercial crops of GM wheat at the last moment. But they are now pushing for GM feed crops. What gets me is it makes no economic sense, considering the trade bans on GM products all over the world, especially in Europe. Monsanto wants to grow this crap even though people don't want to eat it. This is just another reason why I don't believe the bottem line exists.... that is the one conservative governments use to justify welfare and infrustructure cutbacks.

I guess the real problem is that genertic engineering is not a monolythic phenomenon in the world. There are hundreds of interested parties, and even more adjendas. And in amongst the politics is the ever changing technology.... phew.

--
Death ain't the career move it used to be!
The Forbidden Library [link]
Books Burnt by the Nazis [link]
Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code) [link]
:iconpatgoltz:
*PatGoltz Jun 16, 2005, 8:20:26 PM
This is fascinating! Where did you get your background?

I don't think the human race was designed to live in space, either. As for not having any choice, we have to figure out how to do it economically first. No hint that's possible.

I have spiritual AND practical problems with genetic engineering. It turns out we don't begin to know enough not to mess things up. Heck, we can't even do the old stuff adequately at this point. Take the project to improve the honeybee. What do we have to show for it? KILLER bees! They gather less honey, and are much more aggressive. Not only that, but they take over and replace the honeybees. We had a few problems with them this summer. Two colonies moved into the roof of the house. Cost us over $300 to get rid of them, plus five trips of the exterminator. And I was attacked once. Genetic engineering has resulted in developing some crops that are so hardy they invade fields that are supposed to be fallow or where crops are supposed to be rotated, becoming a pest you cannot eradicate. And they pollute the organic heirloom crops in the rest of the county. Monsanto developed seed that people are calling terminator seed. The plants won't produce viable seed. They think this is an improvement because there won't be any contamination. But what it means for the third world is massive starvation because farmers there HAVE to save seed for next year's crop. They can't afford to buy seed every year. Sure, we're doing a wonderful job! NOT! Until people come to their senses and stop meddling where they don't know what they are doing, I have a huge problem strictly from a pragmatic point of view. We know just enough to be really dangerous.

The stuff you are telling me about patients is fascinating. If there is anything allopathic medicine is good for, it's patching up severely damaged people. I just wish it would realize its limitations and get off the backs of people who want to use alternatives when it's something it doesn't do all that well.

--
Soli Deo Gloria.

Comments in other languages welcome.

Memberships listed in my journal: [link]

Seghea: [link]
Extraplicity: [link]
Antelope Art: [link]
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