DESTINATIONS: NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab releases psychedelic travel posters

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, NASA/JPL recently released a series of 14 posters that imagine space as the premier travel destination of the future. Promoting tours of "historic sites" on Mars, the luminous "mighty auroras" of Jupiter, and numerous fascinating sights to be seen on recently discovered planets, the posters merge the promotional style and look of vintage travel posters -- cited as an inspiration -- with the visual style of the psychedelic 60s.

Above: Relax on Kepler-16b, the Land of Two Suns,

    Where Your Shadow Always Has Company

Kepler-16b is a recently discovered planet that orbits two stars. NASA scientists say that "prospects for life on this unusual world aren’t good, as it has a temperature similar to that of dry ice." But this discovery demonstrates that the iconic double sunset seen from Star Wars' fantasy planet Tatooine is not just science fiction. 

The three posters below advertise more familiar celestial bodies: Mars, Jupiter and Europa.

NASA projects that a flight to Europa, Jupiter's ice-covered moon, will be attempted in the 2020s.

Below: Mars: Multiple Tours Available

Experience the Mighty Auras of Jupiter

Europa: Discover Life Under the Ice

I confess -- I had never heard of Super Earth, AKA HD 40307g, until I saw these posters.                           Planet CV: discovered in 2012, 42 light years away, famed for its heavy-duty gravitational pull. 

(Could the poster below have been inspired by the opening credits of Mad Men?)

 At eight times the Earth's mass, HD 40307g straddles the line between 

"Super-Earth" and "mini-Neptune". Scientists aren't 

certain if it has a rocky surface or if it's

buried beneath thick layers of gas and ice. 

And my favorite, below: 

Night life on romantic "rogue planet" PSO J318.5-22 !

 PSO J318.5-22:

Visit the Planet with No Star,

Where the Nightlife Never Ends

Discovered in October 2013, PSO J318.5-22 belongs to a special class of planets called rogue, or free-floating, planets, which do not orbit a parent star. 

Their origin is as yet unknown, but these rogue planets glow 

faintly for a while, from the heat of their formation. 

Once they cool down, they remain dark -- the perfect spot for a 24/7 night club! 

For more information, and to download free posters, link here.