Gallery: Training to Become the First Civilian Artist in Space
Michael Najjar01Michael-Najjar-liquid-gravity
*liquid gravity*, 2013 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). This image draws on a cosmonaut training session taken by Najjar in December 2012. The subject is submerged in a huge tank of water to simulate weightlessness known as “neutral buoyancy.”
Michael Najjar02Michael-Najjar-gravitational-stress-at-the-edge-of-space
*gravitational stress at the edge of space*, 2013 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). A self portrait on the edge-of-space flight in a Russian MiG- 29 jet fighter. Najjar was catapulted with supersonic speed into the stratosphere, reaching a height of nearly 64,000 feet. The photographer was exposed to massive disorientation coupled with gravitational stress of up to 7g's.
Michael Najjar03Michael-Najjar-kinetic-drift
*kinetic drift*, 2014 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). This image explores the process of spatial disorientation, which occurs in a microgravity environment. The image is based on a Zero-G flight taken by Najjar in October 2013 at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.
Michael Najjar04Michael-Najjar-golden-eye-II
*golden eye II*, 2012 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). One of the golden mirror segments of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This next-generation telescope is scheduled to be launched in 2018 as a replacement of the famous Hubble Space Telescope. Its primary scientific mission is to search for light from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe after the Big Bang.
Michael Najjar05Michael-Najjar-final-mission
*final mission*, 2011 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). The very last launch of a U.S. space shuttle at Cape Canaveral. Launched on July 8, 2011, it marked the last chapter in NASA’s 30-year history of spaceflight while simultaneously opening up a new era of commercial space travel. The event was photographed by Najjar on location at Cape Canaveral. This image combines three phases of the thunderous liftoff.
Michael Najjar06Michael-Najjar-spaceport
*spaceport*, 2012 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). Spaceport America is the first commercial spaceport on the planet, located in the New Mexican desert west of the White Sands Missile Range. This futuristic building was designed by the world famous architect Lord Norman Foster. It will be the hub for future commercial space travel operated by Virgin Galactic and other private space companies.
Michael Najjar07Michael-Najjar-a.l.m
*a.l.m.a.*, 2014 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). The Atacama Large Millimeter Array is located in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Composed of 66 high precision antennas located at an altitude of over 1,600 feet, the telescope is expected to provide insight into the birth of stars in the early universe, detailed imaging of local stars, and planet formations.
Michael Najjar08Michael-Najjar-desert-sky
*desert sky*, 2014 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). This picture was taken from the summit of the Cerro Armazones mountain, Atacama Desert, Chile. A cutting-edge telescope, the E-ELT, will be built here. Construction is now underway and aims to be operational by 2024.
Michael Najjar09Michael-Najjar-sands-of-mars
*sands of mars*, 2014 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). A vision of the future colonization of Mars. Once a science-fiction fantasy, it is now the subject of serious feasibility studies. Geodesic spheres invented by Buckminster Fuller in the ‘50s may serve as a perfect architectural concept for Mars habitats. The landscape was photographed in the Atacama Desert, Chile, which offers a similar landscape to that found on Mars and often used as a testing ground for future Mars rovers.
Michael Najjar10Michael-Najjar-interplanetary-landscape
*interplanetary landscape*, 2014 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). Showing the similarities between Mars and Earth. Geologic evidence suggests that Mars could have been warm and wet on a global scale in its distant past. This photo merges an image of the Atacama Desert in Chile with photos taken by the Mars rover Curiosity.
Michael Najjar11Michael-Najjar-muse
*muse*, 2014 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), a cutting-edge 3D field spectrograph. This is an instrument of extraordinary power built to discover objects that lie beyond the reach of even the deepest imaging surveys available today.
Michael Najjar12Michael-Najjar-golden-eye-I
*golden eye I*, 2012 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). The various aluminum containers each carrying segments of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The telescope is intended to replace the famous Hubble Space Telescope in 2018.
Michael Najjar13Michael-Najjar-space-voyagers
*space voyagers*, 2015 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). This image portrays the space crew of TMA-14M which left earth in a Soyuz spaceship in September 2014. Barry Wilmore, Alexander Samokutajew and Yelena Serowa launched from Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station (ISS).
Michael Najjar14Michael-Najjar-orbital-debris-2020
*orbital debris\_2020*, 2013 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). A full scale mockup of the Russian module of the International Space Station (ISS). The mockup is housed 39 feet below the surface in a gigantic hydrolab and is used by Russian cosmonauts for extravehicular activity (EVA) training.
Michael Najjar15Michael-Najjar-space-debris-I
*space debris I*, 2012 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). A visualization of the more than 500,000 defunct objects now in orbit around Earth. Drawn from a data archive, each spherule in the image represents a real object, orbiting at speeds of approximately 17,000 mph.
Michael Najjar16Michael-Najjar-gravitation-entanglement
*gravitation entanglement*, 2014 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). This photo depicts the inevitable collision between our own Milky Way and our closest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31. Hubble Space Telescope observations indicate that the two galaxies, pulled together by their mutual force of attraction, will crash in a near-head-on collision in about 4 billion years from now.
Michael Najjar17Michael-Najjar-oscillating-universe
*oscillating universe*, 2015 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). Visualizing the so-called Big Bounce theory which describes the birth of our universe as a result of the collapse of a previous universe. This photo depicts the universe existing before our known universe, a glimpse of time before the Big Bang. The composition is based on high res data visualization taken by Hubble Space Telescope.
Michael Najjar18Michael-Najjar-serious-anomaly
*serious anomaly*, 2015 (51.7 x 79.5 inches, Edition of 6). On October 31, 2014, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave Desert, California. This image mixes photos from the real event with footage Najjar took of the spaceship during previous test flights.
