Frank Kelly Freas

Anyone who watched the Skylab 1 mission has seen Kelly Freas’ craft; for it was Freas who designed the astronauts’ shoulder patch.  Science fiction’s most popular artist, Kelly Freas (b. 1922) began his scifi career in 1950.  Since then, he has created literally hundreds of covers for over two dozen magazines, including Astounding Science-Fiction, Planet Stories, If and FSF, and countless book publishers such as Ace Books, Laser Books, Gnome Press and Daw Books.  His illustrations often featured humorous depictions of vagabonds, friendly aliens and cocky scoundrels.  His gritty realism redefined scifi art in 1950’s, and earned him 10 Hugo awards for Best Professional Artist.