Viva SPACE Vegas! Artist imagines fantastical future of spaceflight - complete with gambling, glitz and glamour


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Your wedding is fast approaching and, as a last hurrah, you decide to celebrate in the most extravagant way possible - with a trip to 'Space Vegas'.

Here even a 'poor space miner can maybe strike it lucky at the zero-g roulette tables'.

That's the fantastic future imagined by one artist, whose awe-inspiring drawings of a next-generation space station in orbit reveal what space travel may one day look like.

Taking one of several imaginative space planes, in this future timeline you'll be partying to your heart's content in an orbital extravaganza.

Concept artist Alex Brady from Cambridge has created beautiful pictures of what space travel might look like. He imagines a space station of tomorrow similar to Las Vegas (shown in image), with neon lights and plenty of attractions

Concept artist Alex Brady from Cambridge has created beautiful pictures of what space travel might look like. He imagines a space station of tomorrow similar to Las Vegas (shown in image), with neon lights and plenty of attractions

The images were created by concept artist Alex Brady, 32, from Cambridge in the UK, who normally works on video games and movies.

But for these drawings he decided to try his hand at imagining what the future of space travel might look like.

WHAT IS A SPACE SETTLEMENT? 

A space settlement would be a large structure, comparable in size to a town or small city, built in Earth orbit.

It would have similar amenities and services to towns and cities on Earth, and would enable people to live in space.

The ISS currently houses six astronauts at a time, but a space settlement would have hundreds or thousands of people on board.

Future space settlements may also have artificial gravity by rotating around an axis. 

'It's inspired by super yachts docking at the casino marinas in Monaco, as well as Macao and of course Las Vegas,' he told MailOnline.

'I liked the kind of trashy, flashy future in movies like The Fifth Element.

'They're absolutely preposterous but also cheerful and dynamic and irreverent.'

In the main image of Space Vegas, a fantastic array of colours and attractiosn can be seen, including a Ferris wheel and a lit-up cowboy.

Several spacecraft docked at the space station can also be seen, based on similar designs for space planes.

It is located in orbit around Earth, allowing planes to seemingly take off from Earth and then return to the planet with relative ease.

The cone-shaped space station is also shown in a state of partial completion, with space planes again making the journey from the ground.

'It's inspired by super yachts docking at the casino marinas in Monaco, as well as Macao and of course Las Vegas [pictured],' artist Alex Brady, 32, told MailOnline. 'I liked the kind of trashy, flashy future in movies like The Fifth Element'

'It's inspired by super yachts docking at the casino marinas in Monaco, as well as Macao and of course Las Vegas [pictured],' artist Alex Brady, 32, told MailOnline. 'I liked the kind of trashy, flashy future in movies like The Fifth Element'

The station is located in orbit around Earth, allowing planes to seemingly take off from Earth and then return to the planet with relative ease

The station is located in orbit around Earth, allowing planes to seemingly take off from Earth and then return to the planet with relative ease

The cone-shaped space station is also shown in a state of partial completion, with space planes again making the journey from the ground

The cone-shaped space station is also shown in a state of partial completion, with space planes again making the journey from the ground

The strange and twisted shapes, seen here, resemble future structures and spacecraft. The cylindrical design would allow the space station to rotate and provides its inhabitants with artificial gravity

The strange and twisted shapes, seen here, resemble future structures and spacecraft. The cylindrical design would allow the space station to rotate and provides its inhabitants with artificial gravity

And Mr Brady has also given his take on how humans might get into orbit in the future on a variety of space planes.

These are commonly known as single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicles, as they could take off from a runway and land back on Earth without having to use an expendable rocket - like the Space Shuttle had to.

His designs incorporate efforts from Europe, the US and India. And such imaginings aren't that far-fetched; Esa recently tested its unmanned IXV (Intermediate Experimental Vehicle) spacecraft.

Mr Brady has also given his take on how humans might get into orbit in the future on a variety of space planes

Mr Brady has also given his take on how humans might get into orbit in the future on a variety of space planes

These planes are commonly known as single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicles, as they could take off from a runway and land back on Earth without having to use an expendable rocket - like the Space Shuttle had to

These planes are commonly known as single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicles, as they could take off from a runway and land back on Earth without having to use an expendable rocket - like the Space Shuttle had to

But when it comes to space stations, Mr Brady says his designs are a little different and more free-form than others that have been devised.

'I tend to think space stations are usually depicted in a rather austere way, like in the amazing sequences in 2001: A Space Odyssey,' he said.

'I don't like to second guess Stanley Kubrick, he is one of my favourite artists and a genius, but I imagine maybe space cities to be like our cities here on Earth; cluttered, crowded, busy, a little dysfunctional.

'I think to an extent we like our cities that way. Big but also full of smaller, human details and regional variation.'

He adds that these images aren't meant to be taken as a wholly serious look at the future of space travel, but rather 'a light-hearted imagining of the future where even a poor space miner can maybe strike it lucky at the zero-g roulette tables!'

Mr Brady says his designs are a little different  than others that have been devised, such as in 2001: A Space Odyssey (image from the movie shown). 'I imagine maybe space cities to be like our cities here on Earth; cluttered, crowded, busy, a little dysfunctional,' he said

Mr Brady says his designs are a little different than others that have been devised, such as in 2001: A Space Odyssey (image from the movie shown). 'I imagine maybe space cities to be like our cities here on Earth; cluttered, crowded, busy, a little dysfunctional,' he said

Mr Brady adds that these images aren't meant to be taken as a wholly serious look at the future of space travel

Mr Brady adds that these images aren't meant to be taken as a wholly serious look at the future of space travel

His designs incorporate efforts from Europe, the US and India. And such imaginings aren't that far-fetched; Esa recently tested its unmanned IXV (Intermediate Experimental Vehicle) spacecraft.

His designs incorporate efforts from Europe, the US and India. And such imaginings aren't that far-fetched; Esa recently tested its unmanned IXV (Intermediate Experimental Vehicle) spacecraft.

The images are 'a light-hearted imagining of the future where even a poor space miner can maybe strike it lucky at the zero-g roulette tables!' Here we see several spacecraft docked with a space station in orbit, attached by cables

The images are 'a light-hearted imagining of the future where even a poor space miner can maybe strike it lucky at the zero-g roulette tables!' Here we see several spacecraft docked with a space station in orbit, attached by cables



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