Cool Space Stations

I read quite a bit about artificial suns being used to provide day/night cycles in space stations. I really like that this one is on an entirely different level, and used for power.

It makes for a really neat space station shape; the mirrored structure combined with the heavy shielding structure facing the sun, fading off into normal habitation zones.

Green. It's not a color you see often on manufactured space stations; or anything that doesn't come from a gaia-style alien race. It makes you wonder about the type of people that would build a station like this, both in terms of their social structure, and material science.

Here we have a design that reminds me a bit of a mechanical jellyfish. I'm personally a big fan of the scale. Out of the selection in this list, this is one that gives off more military vibes.

Sometimes we forget how amazing some of the older sci fi art can be. This is such a massive structure, and looks like it's been added onto for centuries. It comes from Heavy Metal volume 2 #8 (“So Beautiful and So Dangerous: Episode III” - HM Communications - December 1978)

Now here's a neat change. The city part of the space station… it's upside down! It makes you wonder if having the earth above your head in that way would be more reminiscence of being on the ground, or if you'd constantly be afraid of something going wrong, and falling back down to the planet. The design speaks to the reliability of the civilization's technology.

A giant skyscraper in space. A space city as much as a space station, and I think it's really neat that this one is so literal. As if you took a city block and simply launched it into orbit.

A hollow shell with an amazing sense of scale. In particular, I find the engines/thrusters around the large entrance to be quite interesting. Even with a hollow structure; this one is slow. Which makes its purpose line up more with a traditional space station.

Part of what I enjoy so much about this one is the ambiguity of it. You have a lot of grey/brown structure, and a massive scale. Without more context, you can let your imagination run wild, and imagine virtually anything going on in its interior.

Sometimes it's OK if a space station is just a pit stop along the way to something bigger. A place to relax and refuel. Maybe even a place to have some fun, get into some trouble, and then leave as fast as you can.

Here's another older one - but only from 2002. It's a painting for the cover of Poul Anderson's collection of short stories "Going For Infinity". Normally when you see more modern white designs, they are void of little disturbances on their surface. Things like antennae and sensors. The inclusion of them gives this a neat look.

A sphere? Yeah, it's a sphere. If you ever look down on a Space Station just because it's a sphere, take the time to read The Greatship by Robert Reed. 

Rich. An entire golden space station. Typically, when you have something so extravagant, you have an equally punishing lower class back down on a planet somewhere.

I've actually been unable to find a name for this one. If someone knows the name of this piece, please let me know on the Curator Station Discord channel. 

It's a mess and I love it. You have a really great combination of high tech and sheer brute force to put something together. It's a great combination.