The Space Administration Numbers

Space OCs

I enjoy learning about astronomy and space telescopes, and I'm also inspired by how characters from Mega Man can have simple but effective designs. So I decided to try combining these themes by turning a few NASA and ESA telescopes into characters.

Below is a gallery of character designs I have so far which includes a short profile of each character and the concept behind their designs.

James Webb

As the strongest space robot, James Webb is proud of his abilities and looks down on weaker robots. He enjoys fighting and never backs down from a challenge. He also has a lingering fear that like all space telescopes, he will eventually be shut down and left to drift in space forever; being replaced by more powerful versions of him.

Based on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that was launched on 25 December 2021. Since he's based on NASA's most powerful telescope (so far), I gave him a humanoid appearance to fit the trend of the strongest robots in the Mega Man series like Sunstar and Bass.

 

James Webb is designed after centurions who are Roman soldiers chosen for being strong and skilled, as well as able to carry out orders quickly and efficiently, just like the telescope. His colour scheme follows the same colours as the actual telescope. His key feature is the large cape that represents the sun shield. It also give him an air of authority. His powers reference the abilities the telescope has but some like the ice laser are an exaggeration.

James Webb's other key feature is the giant honeycomb shaped golden mirror behind him. His mirror can split and reform into various shapes, which references the various shield formations in roman warfare. In reality, the telescope's mirrors cannot split but they are able to fold.

Spitzer

 The last of the Great Observatory series, Spitzer pioneered the use of infrared red light in the field of astronomy. Like James Webb, Spitzer has fears of his inevitable deactivation but has learnt to accept his role for the sake of the future generation. He is also very serious and doesn't seem to enjoy other activities other than his own mission. 

Based on the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST). The telescope has a cylindrical shape with a rectangular sun shield, so I took those into account when I designed him. The SST had already been decommissioned, and many people were sending it off and calling it' 'a good soldier', which inspired me to give him a military officer look as well.

     

Spitzer's design is also inspired by Signas and Colonel from Mega Man X.

SST is shorter compared to other more modern space telescopes. It's also the smallest among the Great Observatories, therefore I designed this Spitzer to reflect that as well.

Spitzer's abilities are inferior versions of James Webb's since the latter's technology is built upon the former's. He is still powerful in his own right and can also see infrared at much longer wavelengths.

Gallery

Hubble

Unlike James Webb and Spitzer, Hubble has a much more chill personality. He's the favourite of the Space Administration and is a very popular robot all round. He enjoys taking photographs and has captivated the world with them.

Robot Master based on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Hubble is difficult to design for me because the telescope is really iconic. I decided to give him a more retro-look since he precedes most of the other telescopes.

Hubble's design is inspired by Magnet Man and Metal Man. Since James Webb and Spitzer have their faces shown, I gave Hubble a mask. This also gives him a more serious looking appearance that contrasts with his personality.

Hubble's secondary mirror is based on the anti-clockwise revolution of the Moon around Earth. Since he's a more old-school robot, he has visible antennae to receive signals.

The HST's abilities are not as 'interesting' as its successors but they are still impressive nonetheless. Hubble's ability is light manipulation, which he uses to pin point objects-of-interest far away like a laser beam. He distorts light similar to a black hole by bending space itself.

Juno

The only female robot of the Space Administration Numbers. Her name is inspired by the wife of the god Jupiter. Unlike most of her brothers, she is tasked to study a single planet rather than the universe as a whole.

Based on the Jupiter Near-Polar Orbiter (JUNO). There are only a few female characters in the classic Mega Man series so I had more freedom to explore new design ideas. Her design resembles a nun which is the result of tying in the space probe's appearance with the goddess she is based on.

Unlike the three characters above, she doesn't hold any mirrors.

Like the god Jupiter, Juno has the ability to generate lightning. Since lightning powers are very common, I decided to extend it to the manipulation of electromagnetism as well, as they both go hand-in-hand with each other in science. It is also a reference to one of JUNO's main mission, which is to measure the planet's magnetic field.