PIONEERING THE SPACE FRONTIER NO. 8

To be an artist in these times of explosive change is, for me, a privilege and a challenge. My goal is to document in my drawings and paintings a small part of this changing world and to anticipate in my work, the future that lies ahead.
—Robert T. McCall

Robert T. McCall's Pioneering the Space Frontier No. 8 is a fantastical vision that captures the wonder of the vast universe and the potential that lies within it. Here, McCall illustrates a United States colony on Mars. In the foreground, an astronaut stands high saluting a spacecraft launching from the Mars base back into space. This image was McCall's conception of what AD 2025 might look like. Technology has advanced allowing humans to comfortably live in space, with shuttles between Earth and Mars to provide a consistent stream of supplies and relief. McCall captures the viewer's interest with his visionary idea of the future and he creates an enthralling experience through his use of brilliant color.

McCall was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1919. His interest in science and technology was sparked at a young age as he consumed science fiction magazines and journals. He pursued his love for astronomy and his natural talent in the fine arts at the Columbus Fine Art School before joining the Army Air Corps during World War II. At Kirtland Field (now Kirtland Air Force Base), he met his wife Louise. Together, they moved to Chicago with their two daughters and he started his career as an artist in advertising. The family moved to New York where McCall worked as an illustrator for magazines such as Life, The Saturday Evening Post, and Popular Science. In 1963, NASA invited McCall to join the Art Program to document the newly established space program and the events of the Space Race. His work soon caught the attention of director Stanley Kubrick who hired McCall to make the promotional artwork for his 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. McCall also produced artwork for Richard Fleischer's 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora, as well as Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and The Black Hole (1979). McCall created many public works, including murals for the National Gallery of Art, The Pentagon, The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and The National Art and Space Museum, the last of which is seen by approximately 10 million visitors each year. His work can also be found on U.S. postage stamps and NASA mission patches for Apollo 17 and several other space shuttles.