June 11, 1986: Chesley Bonestell dies

Today in the history of astronomy, the “father of modern space art” helped popularize the idea of manned space travel.
By | Published: June 11, 2025

Born in 1888, artist and illustrator Chesley Bonestell became famous for his realistic paintings of space. His work spanned decades and many formats and publications; perhaps most influential was his collaboration with Wernher von Brain on the 1952–54 Collier’s series, “Man Will Conquer Space Soon!” By making the stuff of science fiction seem achievable, his artwork helped kickstart the U.S. space program.