Dear Renderosity Friends: I am overwhelmed by all the positive feedback I have received on this project. While the design was conceived primarily as an artistic vision, I am delighted that viewers see it as an engineering vision as well. I am flattered by requests for the mesh, but the design uses many parts by fellow Renderosity artist RJ001 that I request those interested consider buying some of his models instead. Other parts came from SteveW's finely detailed mesh of the International Space Station. Please contact him for more detail on that model. THE PROJECT Solar System Explorer "Endurance" and its accompanying "Herschel" and "Sagan" class landers were first created in 2006 using TrueSpace. The "Endurance" has been my one and only near-future spaceship design. Fans of my work know that I am more comfortable working in far future eras of science-fiction and science-fantasy. However, I have been fascinated by the work of such outstanding Renderosity artists as Bambam131, RJ001, Tom Peters, Wblack, and WPL2. Their work tends to focus on near-future spaceships and I want to let them know how much I appreciate their efforts. Thus, I have taken the basic designs from my 2006 TrueSpace project and re-envisioned them using Rhino. The "Endurance" has been scaled down to half its former length and rebuilt using parts from both RJ001 and SteveW. A low-key hull plating texture from the "Marlin's Sci-Fi Textures" CD has been used without a bump map to keep the overall look clean and simple. The "Sagan" class lander has gotten more detailing and a new mid-section. The "Herschel" class lander has gone through the most transformation with the old design abandoned completely in favor of one based on a work-pod design I first used for my "Humanasol" ships. My hope is that the resulting 2011 designs for the "Endurance", "Sagan", and "Herschel" resemble spacecraft we could actually build in a generation or so. May fellow Renderosity spaceship artists continue in their efforts to depict designs we may see within our lifetimes. THE STORY Solar System Explorer "Endurance" is part of my "Space Exploration Consortium" universe. Built in the late 21st century by the joint efforts of major nation-states and numerous aerospace corporations, the "Endurance" was the largest exploration vessel of its era. Designed for missions ranging throughout the solar system, the "Endurance" was one of the first vessels to use nuclear fusion propulsion. With this technology, it was capable of speeds up to 300,000 kilometers per hour. The resulting travel times between the inner planets were measured in weeks and journeys to Jupiter and Saturn were measured in months. Using automated refueling stations located in orbit of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the "Endurance" could reach Uranus and Neptune in a few years. Usually following quick survey missions done by smaller vessels and automated probes, the "Endurance" was capable of extended stays at its target locations. One of the last major spaceship designs of the 21st century, the "Endurance" was the ancestor of Starship "Inquiry," the first large exploration starship built by the "Space Exploration Consortium" in the mid 21st century.