The inspiration for DS9?

[E-DUB]

Not the show, but the design of the station itself.

Ran across an old SF book called "Halo" by Tom Maddox.
Here's the cover.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/halo-tom-maddox/1001858941?ean=2940012180391

While the circular space station has been a staple for a long time, this one has a flat textured ring very evocative of our favorite space station.

The book was published in '91, DS9 debuted in '93. Wish I could find a better image.

 

[R. Star]

Never heard of the book. To be fair a circle is a fairly common theme in sci-fi spaceships.

 

[Melakon]

Well, that story in OP was first published in 1991, but that doesn't mean the art being displayed is the original cover, as the publication date they're offering is 2011.

The development of DS9's look is well illustrated with early doodles and 3d concepts from different artists in The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, by the Reeves-Stevens pair.

 

[GameOn]

It's explained on the series DVD extras that the final look of the station was modeled after a gyroscope with the rings split at the top and bottom.

 

[E-DUB]

I've got the book and that is the original cover. Can't control what the link says.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Calling books from the 90s old, makes me feel old.

 

[PorthosShadow]

As I recall Rick Berman wanted the station to be instantly recognizable from a long distance.

 

[jpv2000]

As I recall Rick Berman wanted the station to be instantly recognizable from a long distance.

And it was.

I loved the design. I'll have to get used to the new one.

 

[PorthosShadow]

As I recall Rick Berman wanted the station to be instantly recognizable from a long distance.

And it was.

I loved the design. I'll have to get used to the new one.

New one?

 

[DS9forever]

As I recall Rick Berman wanted the station to be instantly recognizable from a long distance.

And it was.

I loved the design. I'll have to get used to the new one.

New one?

Deep Space 9 was destroyed in the Pocket Books novels a few years back; a new DS9 station is to be seen in two novels out this summer:

http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Deep_Space_9_(II)

 

[Melakon]

That illustration in the OP bears more resemblance to 2001: A Space Odyssey's space station to me, than DS9 resembles the illustration.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The wagon wheel space station is a pretty common design.

 

[Melakon]

Found this in Wikipedia under "Space station":

In 1929 Herman Potocnik's The Problem of Space Travel was published, the first to envision an "rotating wheel" space station to create artificial gravity.

This was certainly a surprise to me, as I about to suggest it might have originated with Werner von Braun or Willy Ley.