(1996) - An artist's rendering of the the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft's rendezvous with the asteroid Eros. Upon arrival, the spacecraft will orbit the mountain-sized body for nearly 13 months, sending back the first comprehensive dataset about an asteroid. This image produced for NASA by Pat Rawlings, (SAIC). Technical concepts for NASA's Exploration Office, Johnson Space Center (JSC).

(February 1995) - Earth's Moon, just 3 days away, is a good place to test hardware and operations for a human mission to Mars. A simulated mission, including the landing of an adapted Mars excursion vehicle, could test many relevant Mars systems and technologies. Artwork done for NASA by Pat Rawlings, of SAIC.

(1997) - The Carl Sagan Memorial Station, previously known as the Mars Pathfinder Lander, proved that a high degree of knowledge and innovation, coupled with a bit of luck, could put a very-low cost spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Depicted here by an aritist, the lander and rover surpassed their initial design life and went on to return many high resolution images of the ancient flood-washed plain of Ares Valles. This art work was produced for NASA by Pat Rawlings, (SAIC). Technical concepts for NASA's Exploration Office, Johnson Space Center (JSC).

(January 1989) - A NASA artist's concept of a vehicle which could provide an artificial-gravity environment of Mars exploration crews. The piloted vehicle rotates around the axis that contains the solar panels. Levels of artificial gravity vary according to the tether length and the rate at which the vehicle spans.

Mars Outpost as outlined in FY-89 Office of Exploration Annual Report, depicted during consolidation Phase. Projected time from start of Emplacement Phase to Consolidation Phase - 4 years with 4 years to complete consolidation and begin full utilization. Main components are a habitat module, pressurized rover dock/equipment lock, airlocks, and a 16 meter constructable (inflatable) habitat. Also visible in this image is a meteorological balloon, an unpressurized rover, a storage work area, a geophysical experiment area and a local area antenna. The Outpost is for 7 astronauts whose mission will focus on research related to Earth sciences such as mining of Mars and Phobos; life science research; advanced technical development; origin of life studies; and further solar system exploration. Mars Outpost elements and procedures are derived from an earlier lunar test bed. This painting was done by Mark Dowman of John Frassanito & Associates For NASA, JSC's of Office of Exploration.

(January 1989) - This is an artist's concept depicting a possible scene when the first human travelers might walk on the surface of Mars. The artwork was part of a NASA new initiatives study which surveyed possible future manned planetary expeditionary activity. The area depicted is Noctis Labyrinthus in the Valles Marineris system of enormous canyons. The scene is just after sunrise, and on the canyon floor four miles below, early morning clouds can be seen. The frost on the surface will melt very quickly as the Sun climbs higher in the Martian sky. The astronaut depicted on the left might be a planetary geologist seeking to get a closer look at the stratigraphic details of the canyon walls. On the right, the geologist's companion is setting up a weather station to monitor Martian climatology. In the far right frame is a six wheeled articulated rover, which transported the pair of astronauts here from their landing site. The vehicle is unpressurized.

(February 1995) - Two kilometers above the lava flows of Mars' Tharsis Bulge region, a geologist collects samples from the eastern cliff at the base of Olympus Mons, the solar system's largest known shield volcano. To better understand the evolution of the Arizona-sized volcano, the scientist investigates the layers of hardened lava that make up the massive feature. The block-like nature of the rock face, caused by columnar jointing, is similar to features on Earth, such as the Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Artwork done for NASA by Pat Rawlings, of SAIC.