For many aviation and aerospace enthusiasts, July 2011 will always be remembered as a bittersweet month in the history of Space Exploration.  After a thirty year operational life, the iconic Space Shuttle program ended on July 21, 2011 as mission STS-135 concluded and the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis successfully landed at Kennedy Space Center and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) officially retired the program.  Our featured tattoo on Tattoos In Flight today of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery at launch with its two powerful Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and External Tank attached, is posted in honor of the men and women who built, maintained, crewed and even gave their life for America’s Shuttle program.

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I was happy to check our email this morning when we got this tattoo sent to us… and though I usually feature spaceflight tattoos on Saturdays, I thought it would be perfect to feature it on Sunday still.

Launched on August 20th, 1977, Voyager 2 became one of the most productive space probes ever, with visits to four planets and their moons including Uranus and Neptune — both previously unexplored.

It was the flyby of Neptune and it’s moon Triton that inspired the tattoo featured here.  Our contributor, Heather, explains:

“When Voyager 2 flew by Neptune in 1989, NASA streamed the images live to several planetariums. My dad took me to see the images as they came in, and it’s one of my big childhood memories, and one of the things that really got me into astronomy and physics. So for my 30th birthday, I got a tattoo of Voyager 2 with Neptune and Triton.”

The tattoo was created by Matt Dunlap of All or Nothing Tattoo in Atlanta, GA.

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We’re striking back up our “Space Saturday” feature with this inner arm tattoo of a Russian (former Soviet) cosmonaut. The tattoo is of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to be launched into space on April 12, 1961 and the first to orbit the Earth.  Gagarin was a pioneer in the early space race as the USA and USSR fought to match or beat each others triumphs in spaceflight.  Tragically, Gagarin lost his life on March 27, 1968 at the young age of 34 during a routine training flight when the MiG-15 UTI he was flying with an instructor, crashed near the town of Kirzhach.

Artist Jason Butcher of Immortal Ink in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, United Kingdom fittingly immortalized Gagarin in this tattoo.

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  The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was one of the most famous aircraft to emerge from the famous Lockheed ADP (Advanced Development Projects) division nicknamed “The Skunk Works” under the leadership of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson.  The Skunk Works team were responsible for some of the most advanced and secretive aircraft in the air.  The U-2 Spyplane, the F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter, and the F-104 Starfighter were just some of the designs that came into the public eye — many others may never be known!

This tattoo is a forearm piece illustrating the top view of the SR-71 Blackbird.  The Mach 3 capable, high altitude spyplane is one of the most unique and recognizable aircraft designs of the jet era.  The choice to use black and gray shading for the tattoo is fitting as the plane most always was seen in public in its stealthy black paint.

Artist Brendan Mudd of Inkfish Tattoo in Maidstone, Kent UK created this unique piece.

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We’re always on the lookout for the elusive spacecraft tattoo for Space Saturday but seem to have trouble finding appropriate tattoos to feature. We’ve seen a few tattoos of the Space Shuttle, but nothing from Apollo, Gemini, or Mercury — anyone?

Luckily we were fortunate to find this fantastic tattoo of the Space Shuttle this week and thought the colorful execution and depiction of light was nothing short of spectacular. Credit goes to artist Josh Woods of Black 13 Tattoo in Nashville, TN.

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It was great to come across some new material in web searches this week, especially this great NASA Space Shuttle tattoo surrounding an existing tattoo. This great color piece was done by by Scot “Spyder” Kumo at Animated Canvas Custom Tattoo in Columbia, SC.

It’s a great tribute to the reusable space vehicle that’s slated for retirement in 2010 and eventually replaced by the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) capsule as part of the Constellation program.

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Artist Jen Clinch Guertin of Anchor Steam Tattoo in Newport, RI designed this retro Space scene on a forearm.

Got a space or flight related tattoo?  Send it to us at tattoosinflight@gmail.com.