If you were dreaming about the day we are going to leave and explore the Solar System, take space elevators down to Mars and sky-diving over the Ligeia Mare on Titan, look no further. Wanderers, by Erik Wernquist, is a short movie you can’t miss. Seriously.
Enceladus
“Wanderers is a vision of humanity’s expansion into the Solar System, based on scientific ideas and concepts of what our future in space might look like, if it ever happens. (…) Without any apparent story, other than what you may fill in by yourself, the idea of the film is primarily to show a glimpse of the fantastic and beautiful nature that surrounds us on our neighboring worlds – and above all, how it might appear to us if we were there.” (Erik Wernquist)
Why is it so great? Because, apart from the (amazing) beauty of the images, it’s scientifically accurate, in the best SF tradition.
Ligeia Mare, Titan
From Enceladus geysers to the amazing Saturn’s Rings, all the locations depicted in the film are Wernquist’s digital recreations of actual places in the Solar System, built from real photos, map data and NASA and other space agencies’ probes.
For example, the stunning view of Ligeia Mare has been reconstructed by real video footage from ESA’s Huygens as it descends through Titans atmosphere.
The Asteroid Belt
Also, the idea of hollowing out asteroids and build structures in their interior, simulating gravity and make them suitable habitats for human life in space is a glorious one in SF. Arthur C. Clarke first proposed that in its classic Rendezvous with Rama, and more recently Kim Stanley Robinson wrote about them in 2312, where he called them terraria (terra in Latin means land, or ground).
And what about the domes on the ridges of Iapetus, from where you can admire Saturn?
Domes on Iapetus
Domes are likely to constitute one of the best shots for life on gas giants’ moons, especially where lower-than-Earth gravity makes them more feasible. Again, this vision has been allegedly inspired by Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312 (which I certainly recommend for a reading to anybody with an interest on these topics). I would love by a flat in that big one in this photo, and you’d want one too. How so? As clarified by Wernquist himself, “Iapetus is one of very few moons around Saturn that has an orbit not entirely aligned to the plane of the rings, so, while on most other moons you would only see the rings as a mere stripe, from Iapetus you would see them in their full glory.”
Verona Rupe, Miranda
What’s my favourite about these fantastic scenarios? Base-jumping off the impressive Verona Rupe, located on Uranus’ moon Miranda, I think. Not only are they the highest cliff in the Solar System; from there you can see my beloved Uranus as close as it can be.
The movie is narrated by Carl Sagan’s voice, on top of that. I could keep explaining why it’s so good, but I think it’s better for you to see by yourself. Geeks, and space lovers, can find all detailed explanations here.
For more stunning locations in the Solar System, have a look at this.
What an incredibly beautiful little movie! Thanks for sharing.
Lynn 😀
My pleasure, and thanks.