JJFBbennett

  Blast off on a wild space adventure! We're crammed into our battered little Subi spacecraft, heading to the dusty outpost of Outpost Aurum. Our mission: to reach the ocean planet of Oceanus Station. Join us as we station-hop through space, in a calamity of errors, as intrepid space tourists.  Script Our battered Subi spacecraft, a relic of pre-Collapse Jump engineering, groaned under the weight. Myself, BK, and Katcha, the genetically modified spoodle with its enhanced olfactory sensors, along with enough protein paste to outlast a minor vacuum breach, were crammed inside.  A brand-new Brass Monkey cryo-unit hummed in the boot, our lifeline for the long haul. Our mission: a jump from Beagal's orbital dock to the dusty outpost of Outpost Aurum, a waypoint on the long haul to Oceanus Station, a planet known for vast oceans. Outpost Aurum, a rumoured oasis of functional grav plating, was our first target. Beagal's orbital dock was a pressure cooker of recycled air and stal...

  Our Battered Subi Description Space tourism. It wasn't always like this.  Once, Space tourism. It wasn't always like this.  Once, it was the realm of governments and corporations, colossal rockets and carefully orchestrated missions. Now, it was almost...casual. Like renting a campervan and hitting the outback, but instead of red dirt and spinifex, there were asteroid fields and shimmering space stations. Artist Statement This image explores the evolving idea of space tourism, emphasising the contrast between traditional views of space travel as a grand, state-sponsored endeavour and a future where it is more accessible and commonplace. The worn, rusty appearance of the spacecraft challenges the sleek, futuristic designs typically associated with space travel, suggesting a future where the cosmos is within reach for everyday travellers. The vignette illustrates the concept of space tourism by likening it to a road trip, where destinations like Kepler-186f replace famili...

  DAY TWO Today, we embark on another day of driving through the vast Australian Outback. Our journey takes us from Daly Waters in the Northern Territory to Cloncurry in Queensland. We are all packed and excited for another adventure! Travelling over 11,000 kilometres will take approximately 13 hours, including some pit stops. Thankfully, the Northern Territory has a speed limit of 130 km/h. Last night, we stayed at the Daly Waters Highway Inn, which has a pet-friendly policy. The sunrise over the trees in Daly Waters was spectacular. Our dog settled in and enjoyed the evening and morning walk. The Stuart Highway is the main road in the Northern Territory, stretching for a long distance where road trains frequently travel. These enormous trucks, which can pull multiple trailers, are impressive to see. Along the highway, there are plenty of long straight strips and overtaking lanes, allowing us to overtake large vehicles at speeds not allowed elswhere in Australia. Passing a road tr...

  DAY ONE Our trusty Subaru Forester was packed with me, my partner Brenda, Katchalla (our concerned but enthusiastic spoodle), and enough snacks to survive a tiny apocalypse. With our brand new Brass Monkey securely tucked into the boot, we set off on our mission: the first leg of an epic journey from Darwin to Ulladulla, NSW, with Daly Waters shimmering in our minds as our initial oasis. We departed from Darwin, the tropical humidity clinging to us like a second skin. After about 98 kilometers, the promise of caffeine lured us into the Adelaide River Country Store. Brenda, ever the coffee connoisseur, declared their coffee to be "a damn good coffee," which is a high compliment indeed. Meanwhile, Katcha sniffed around, searching for the right spot to relieve himself and stumbled upon the store's no dickhead policy. Back on the Stuart Highway, the landscape began to slowly transform. The lush greens of Darwin gradually gave way to the more resilient vegetation of the outb...