Delightfully trippy vintage illustrations of futuristic space colonies

Four decades ago, researchers imagined the self-sufficient, Earth-orbiting spacecrafts of our future

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Bernal spheres: colony construction crew at work.
(Image credit: (NASA Ames Research Center))

Cylindrical colonies: interior featuring clouds and vegetation.
(Image credit: (NASA Ames Research Center))

Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.