The Flickr Purplepigeons Image Generatr

"TITAN LANDER"

And the rest is what’s on the verso of the black & white version of the photo, along with what I dug up when I posted it in 2020.


"Saturn has a remarkable earth-like moon named Titan, which has a heavy atmosphere. Scientists would like to land a Viking-type package there in the late 1980s."

A beautiful & dynamic depiction by JPL artist Ken Hodges.

Possibly/Apparently part of JPL’s “Purple Pigeon” effort.

Epilog:

Pathetically, as has been the case with many other formerly semi-useful & moderately informative NASA sites, particularly those that hosted imagery/photos, JPL head-shed would appear to have quaffed the Koolaid as well.
The following is what's still available, as of 21 March 2024 at the following site, which is "No Longer Maintained". As such, also no longer with an image that was a probable companion to mine:

www.jpl.nasa.gov/blog/tag/ken-hodges/

“Titan Saturn Mission Artwork, 1976
By Julie Cooper

In the 1970s and 80s, before advanced computer graphics, artist Ken Hodges was hired by JPL to create paintings that depicted many different missions – some in the planning stages and some only imagined.

Bruce Murray became JPL's Director in 1976, and he advocated new missions (Purple Pigeons) that would have enough pizzazz to attract public and scientific support. Hodges painted many of the Purple Pigeon images, including this scene of a Saturn orbiter with a lander going to the surface of Saturn's largest moon Titan. This artwork was done almost 30 years before Cassini's Huygens Probe reached the surface of Titan. Cassini was launched in 1997 and spent seven years traveling to Saturn. The probe was released in December 2004, and landed on Titan on January 14, 2005.

For more information about the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives for assistance. [Archival and other sources: P-numbered photo albums and indexes, Cassini and Huygens web pages.]

Julie Cooper

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Cooper, Certified Archivist

Julie Cooper is a certified archivist who identifies and processes collections for the JPL Archives, and helps researchers find information about the history of JPL.”

Buh-bye. Ain't that right NAssA...and now, JPL…whoevers?
Sad, disappointing & pathetic...as has become the norm for photographic documentation, archiving & preservation…at least WRT what’s available/presented to the public, i.e. the taxpayers.

Possibly an evolution of JPL’s original “Purple Pigeon” concept/proposal, depicting a Mars rover, lights ablaze, descending into a shadowed crater. Although only one rover is depicted, could it possibly be one of a pair, per the original PP concept?
And, is the apparent 'original' configuration Viking lander in the background just that…an original Viking lander that the rover may have just visited? Or, a subsequent externally similar derivative/variant? Who knows,

In lieu of any other imagery, the only reason I refer to this as a possible extension of the Mars Purple Pigeon proposal is because Mr. Portree alludes to such in referencing an image with similar rovers:

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2018/12/dual-mars-rovers-...
Credit: “No Shortage of Dreams: Mars Multi-Rover Mission (1977)”/David S. F. Portree

One of many beautiful works by Ken Hodges for JPL.
Thank you for your service Brother, continue to Rest In Peace:

www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/ken-hodges-obit...
Credit: Legacy website

“Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede, is thought to have a frozen surface…a small lander dropped from an orbiting spacecraft has cracked the surface here.”

Above per the press slug of the black & white version of the photo previously posted.

Gorgeous artwork by Ken Hodges during his tenure with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). I wonder which moon is in the corner?

Per another press slug associated with the photo:

"CRACKING THE ICE -- One of Jupiter's large Galilean moons, Ganymede, is believed to have a largely frozen surface. Here a small lander is seen after being dropped from an orbiting spacecraft which scientists at Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory propose sending to Jupiter and a cruise of its four major moons in the late 1980s."

A wonderful assemblage of actual photographs of Ganymede’s surface:

photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/target/Ganymede
Credit: JPL Photojournal website

I'm not well-versed on canceled interplanetary exploration missions from the mid-70s, so I have no idea what is being referenced. I originally considered the "Grand Tour" concept/proposal; however, that didn't involve orbiting, nor deployment of a lander...I think. Something else I suppose...possibly a component of the “Purple Pigeon” planetary exploration effort?:

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2018/12/dual-mars-rovers-...
Credit: Spaceflight History blogspot/David S. F. Portree

Indeed, on page 257 (reversed), with the following pertinent & lamentable extract:

“Immediately after Viking 1 successfully landed on Mars, JPL presented its vision for the future of solar system exploration, involving a series of amazing ‘Purple Pigeon’ missions in the 1980s that would capture the imagination of the public, in contrast to dull scientific ‘Gray Mouse’ missions. The plan included a spacecraft that would be propelled by the pressure of solar radiation to encounter comet Halley in 1986; and orbiter to map Venus by radar; a mission that enter orbit around Saturn with a Titan atmosphere-and-lander probe; an ‘asteroid tour’; a spacecraft that would enter orbit around Jupiter with a hard lander for Ganymede, the largest Jovian moon; and a robotic base to resume the exploration of the Moon. Of these, only the Venus radar mapper and the Saturn orbiter would actually fly; the latter reaching its target almost 30 years after its conception as the Cassini-Huygens mission. For Mars, the Purple Pigeon would be launched in either 1981 or 1984 with two landers, each with a pair of remotely controlled rovers that would drive up to 1,500 km over a 2-year period. The 200-250-kg rovers would carry a camera, a robotic arm and instruments for geochemical and biological analyses, and their explorations would be coordinated.”

dl.booktolearn.com/ebooks2/science/astronomy/978038749326...
Credit: Paolo Ulivi and David M. Harland/Praxis Publishing/dl.booktolearn.com website

Note the Soviet Luna 9, Luna 13 (without the protective, uprighting?, stabilizing?) petals, the (never realized) U.S. Automatic Biological Laboratory, and/or Soviet Venera 4-like appearance of the probe.

Finally & sadly, although I know it’s to be expected, I still hate it. Thank you for your service Brother, continue to Rest In Peace:

www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/ken-hodges-obit...
Credit: Legacy website

“Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede, is thought to have a frozen surface…a small lander dropped from an orbiting spacecraft has cracked the surface here.”

Excellent JPL artwork by Ken Hodges during his employment there.

Per another press slug associated with the photo:

"CRACKING THE ICE -- One of Jupiter's large Galilean moons, Ganymede, is believed to have a largely frozen surface. Here a small lander is seen after being dropped from an orbiting spacecraft which scientists at Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory propose sending to Jupiter and a cruise of its four major moons in the late 1980s."

I'm not well-versed on canceled interplanetary exploration missions from the mid-70s, so I have no idea what is being referenced. I originally considered the "Grand Tour" concept/proposal; however, that didn't involve orbiting, nor deployment of a lander...I think. Something else I suppose...possibly a component of the “Purple Pigeons” planetary exploration effort?:

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2018/12/dual-mars-rovers-...
Credit: Spaceflight History blogspot/David S. F. Portree

Indeed, on page 257 (reversed), with the following pertinent & lamentable extract:

“Immediately after Viking 1 successfully landed on Mars, JPL presented its vision for the future of solar system exploration, involving a series of amazing ‘Purple Pigeon’ mission in the 1980s that would capture the imagination of the public, in contrast to dull scientific ‘Gray Mouse’ missions. The plan included a spacecraft that would be propelled by the pressure of solar radiation to encounter comet Halley in 1986; and orbiter to map Venus by radar; a mission that enter orbit around Saturn with a Titan atmosphere-and-lander probe; an ‘asteroid tour’; a spacecraft that would enter orbit around Jupiter with a hard lander for Ganymede, the largest Jovian moon; and a robotic base to resume the exploration of the Moon. Of these, only the Venus radar mapper and the Saturn orbiter would actually fly; the latter reaching its target almost 30 years after its conception as the Cassini-Huygens mission. For Mars, the Purple Pigeon would be launched in either 1981 or 1984 with two landers, each with a pair of remotely controlled rovers that would drive up to 1,500 km over a 2-year period. The 200-250-kg rovers would carry a camera, a robotic arm and instruments for geochemical and biological analyses, and their explorations would be coordinated.”

dl.booktolearn.com/ebooks2/science/astronomy/978038749326...
Credit: Paolo Ulivi and David M. Harland/Praxis Publishing/dl.booktolearn.com website

ADDITIONALLY: If you have - at a minimum - even a passing fancy WRT this kind of stuff; I EMPHATICALLY recommend you take a look at what’s available from the root ‘dl.booktolearn’ website.
W.O.W. I say again, WOW!!!

Note the Soviet Luna 9, Luna 13 (without the protective, uprighting?, stabilizing?) petals, and/or Venera 4-like appearance of the probe, .

Purple breasted pigeon helping herself to other birds feed inside an animal sanctuary. Beautiful she is.
I love pigeons because they each have individual markings in their feathers which tells me they must have individual personalities.

~~~My interests~~~ Creating natural illusions with just me and my camera without photo editing programs is to me a true illusion.
Capturing illusions and the beauty of nature from insects to the moon. I also engage in the challenges of macro photography.

Any one with interests in any of my photos regarding sharing or purchasing rights, exclusive commercial or non-exclusive for websites, magazines and business promotions can address them to my email [email protected]

Getty editors are welcome to approach me for any photo for any use, however for all, I decide on the terms, for exclusive or otherwise.

Hope you enjoy my creative photography

haven't worn these in a while.

my sb dunks...cheaa