With the Collier's series "Man Will Conquer Space Soon!", Chesley Bonestell's art reached a wide audience, and began to make the dreams of the coming Space Age seem achievable. Credit: Courtesy of Ron Miller
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.
Elisa Neckar is senior production editor of Astronomy magazine, and the editor of the Today in the History of Astronomy feature on Astronomy.com.
