Retro futurism

[kiwiak]

Retro futurism is really fascinating... Reading how people from past imagined future woudl be. I oftem imagine that i got a chance to talk someone from past (of course interested in technology delvopment, not some random foe) and explain him how things worked out.

Take a look at these rockets:

http://weburbanist.com/2009/03/02/retrofuture-space-flight-15-visions-of-future-past/

For some reason i see them all the time on old drawnings, these large fins, or are they wings already?

What are interesting concepts (especially about areonautics/spaceflight) that were popular back in time and seriously considered, and turned out to be just fantasy?

[NovaSilisko]

Well, if you like that... http://www.manconquersspace.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr7GtaU3v5I

[Brotoro]

Well, if you like that... http://www.manconquersspace.com/

That looks cool.

[Urban_K]

What are interesting concepts (especially about areonautics/spaceflight) that were popular back in time and seriously considered, and turned out to be just fantasy?

I think of the strange notion that the first manned space rocket would go to the Moon, which happened so often if fiction, is a good example.

[Warhorse]

For some reason i see them all the time on old drawnings, these large fins, or are they wings already?

There's probably two reasons for that - most artists aren't rocket scientists, so there's a tendency for the rockets to come out looking like whatever high-performance non-rocket vehicle happens to occupy the public's fantasy at the time; and perhaps more importantly, it took a while to develop a decent way to steer a rocket, and the first thing they tried was big fins in the airstream a la the V2.

[Canopus]

There's probably two reasons for that - most artists aren't rocket scientists, so there's a tendency for the rockets to come out looking like whatever high-performance non-rocket vehicle happens to occupy the public's fantasy at the time; and perhaps more importantly, it took a while to develop a decent way to steer a rocket, and the first thing they tried was big fins in the airstream a la the V2.

The A4 was actually steered by fins in the Rockets exaust. So as long as the engine is running it would be pilotable.

But yes i too would love to go to the past and show the things like my Smartphone or tell them about the future.

[kiwiak]

Well, if you like that... http://www.manconquersspace.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr7GtaU3v5I

Mother of god. How awesome is that.

[lajoswinkler]

Although not the kind of retrofuturism that we all think about because of the mass media and the influence of American culture, the movie Metropolis (Weimar Republic, 1927, silent) is one of the earliest examples that featured the style of the "future that never was". I sincerely recommend you to watch it if you haven't already.

Anyway, have you noticed how much of the retrofuturistic rockets look like the ominous V-2? Curvy shapes, exaggerated fins...

Today, at best, you can admire the leftovers of the influence on the architecture. There are some nice examples.

[Themohawkninja]

I never really liked retro-futuristic ideas, because when dates were put on the ideas, they were always overly-optimistic by decades.

[Kryten]

There's probably two reasons for that - most artists aren't rocket scientists, so there's a tendency for the rockets to come out looking like whatever high-performance non-rocket vehicle happens to occupy the public's fantasy at the time; and perhaps more importantly, it took a while to develop a decent way to steer a rocket, and the first thing they tried was big fins in the airstream a la the V2.

While true in a lot of cases, very little of this post applies to the design in the OP; because it was made by von Braun himself. The similarities with the V2 aren't because of some kind of cultural zeitgeist, it's because it's effectively based on the german super-V2 ICBM plans.

[NASAFanboy]

I never really liked retro-futuristic ideas, because when dates were put on the ideas, they were always overly-optimistic by decades.

While almost all of it could've actually happened with enough funding, it never did.

Politics.

Messing stuff up since 9999BC.

EDIT: Also, the rockets bear an huge resembalence to the later German A-10 rockets that would've sent manned crews to orbit. I think Von Braun took that design

[Themohawkninja]

While almost all of it could've actually happened with enough funding, it never did.

Politics.

Messing stuff up since 9999BC.

EDIT: Also, the rockets bear an huge resembalence to the later German A-10 rockets that would've sent manned crews to orbit. I think Von Braun took that design

If I had a nickel for every time that politics is used as a scapegoat for why something didn't get done, I'd have no college debt.

Also, Von Braun was probably the guy that made the design in the first place.

[Simon Ross]

My all time favourite site of retro future http://davidszondy.com/future/futurepast.htm

Unfortunately due to personal reasons David does not update the site any more :-(

[lajoswinkler]

Here's one cartoon with a similar rocket design, I hope you'll like it.

[kiwiak]

Heres how russians imagined it, film made some time after sputnik flight.

It seems that they thinked manned crews woudl weather observations instead satellites... well indeed there are some observation made onboard iss.

Edited January 19, 2014 by kiwiak

[kiwiak]

Early russian launch vehicles were top secret, so they released to public just some imaginary rocket... winged ones. Here is old book cover from sputnik age... i coudlnt find some better res images unfortunetly

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Russian-Book-Cosmos-Space-Craft-City-Man-Sputnik-Rocket-Cosmic-Travel-Station-Ol-/141163201955

[PakledHostage]

Not directly space related, but I have always been impressed by Arthur C. Clarke's prediction in 1974 about how we would use computers... The only thing he failed to foresee in his prediction was that we wouldn't just use the computer as a phone, but that the computer he described would be the phone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIRZebE8O84

[DJEN]

I never really liked retro-futuristic ideas, because when dates were put on the ideas, they were always overly-optimistic by decades.

You can say that again.

[Seret]

Heres how russians imagined it, film made some time after sputnik flight.

It seems that they thinked manned crews woudl weather observations instead satellites... well indeed there are some observation made onboard iss.

Haha, those leather flight suits are amazing!

[magnemoe]

I never really liked retro-futuristic ideas, because when dates were put on the ideas, they were always overly-optimistic by decades.

Two reasons for this, first is that its easy to think up cool megaprojects who is to expensive to make.

The second is that most technology start slow, gain momentum and things start to develop fast before slowing down again as all the easy steps are done and new improvements get harder and more expensive all the time.

And yes lots of sci-fi ideas are cool but impractical.