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95-031 "Joyride"
1995, Acrylic on Illustration Board

There is more here than meets the eye. Many viewers at first miss the inherent impossibility of the scene: the shuttle is orbiting the moon, not the distant Earth, and space shuttles lack the necessary propulsion for the far-flung journey. When I worked at Rockwell, some engineers confided the orbiter could be modified for such a trip by adding fuel tanks in its cargo bay - and you see them here in my imaginary view. Lacking a lander to actually set down on the land below, this orbiter makes do with an extension of its cabin called a SpaceHab - doubtless crammed with astronomers and sensing gear. The shuttle dares not make this trip, though, mostly due to the higher speed of return and hotter re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere that lunar trajectories produce. The truly hidden purpose of the image lays in what you do NOT see: the orbiter's name. I originally intended to suggest a crew able to slip the surly bonds of Earth and venture further, taking their craft on a joyride to the ends of the universe. But I painted out Challenger's name at the last minute, keeping my speculation private.

Chris Butler