Messages From Space (1961)

It is forgotten often that before we had the first man in space the space race was about launching satellites.  The possibility of taking "the high ground" where no one could dispute beacons, cameras, and radios.

Davis, Clive E. Messages from Space. New York: Dodd, Mead  (95 p). 19 x 24 cm. Cloth, DJ. 1961.

 Illustrated mostly with publicity photographs and aerospace contractor diagrams it is interesting to see how they tried to transmit a sense of wonder about this new technology.

The book ends with a description of the coming age of astronauts. I especially like this heroic image presented in the final paragraphs.

National Geographic School Bulletin (1969)

We are approaching July 20, 2013.  It will have been 44 years since people first landed on the Moon. Even though it is not an international holiday, I still like to take a moment to remember what has been done and dream of what might be done.

The 1969 National Geographic School Bulletins was yet another classroom publication that made for "interesting" classroom reading.  National Geographic specializes in really nice picture and illustrations so here are some nice pictures from the dawn of our manned off-planet explorations.

 We anticipated a different future on the Moon, I still hope we get there.

 

Casper Space Ship (August 1972)

I have posted about the Apollo 16 mission and its Command Module "Casper" before.

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/12/apollo-16-poster-with-casper-friendly.html

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2011/01/casper-presents-space-age-dentistry.html

So this is sort of the 3rd installment of  exploring ghosts and Apollo.  This is by far one of the stranger comics regarding an Apollo mission I have ever come across. So in honor of "Apollo July" here is Casper the Friendly Ghost and Trip to the Moon!

 Maybe ghosts and space ships seems strange enough but just wait...

OK NOW THE STORY STARTS TO GET WEIRD

As a final bit of fun, here is the record that Harvey put out to honor the mission.
Link to the record: https://youtu.be/s-Xs2PlnRr8


July 1972 Casper title

Sept 1972 Casper title.

Jets (1963)

A 1963 printing of a pamphlet called "Jets". In the late 1950s and 1960s Aerospace research included bigger and better jets. This was a classroom pamphlet produced by the National Aerospace Education Council (NAEC). Up until the launch of sputnik this had been the National AERONAUTICS Education Council but in the new age of science education they started using a different name. This "Jets" pamphlet was originally published in 1953 so this is the October 1963 revised edition.

 Especially exciting was the idea that aerospace engineering was in a golden age and the changes would keep coming. The NAEC mission was "to provide information and simplified concepts from a sound educational and an accurate aviation point of view and assist teachers in their efforts to help youth live more intelligently by understanding the influence of this air age."

One seemingly reachable goal was to have air travel that was almost "like" taking rocket ships from place to place. This pamphlet show some of those efforts.

They probably updated this by extending that these exotic jets were just the next step toward real rockets.

"How can you help this to be a better jet and space world?"

"Space Travel and You" Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club Magazine (Summer 1956)

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club Magazine for Summer 1956 featured an article based on the Walk Disney's "Man in Space" and "Man and The Moon" television shows.  I am fascinated how Disney and von Braun worked together to prepare "propaganda" films to forward the idea of manned space flight.
(See http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/disney_article.html)

 

As another platform for reaching the youth of America was the magazine Disney produced to build on the popularity of the Mickey Mouse Club television show.  Many of the articles in this magazine built off of Disney features. the article however does not describe the Disney film, rather it describes what it would be like to experience a trip to the Moon in 1976.

 

This article gives me another chance to appreciate the work they put into creating models and illustrations to show how logical space flight would be if we just got around to it.

 



 I have mentioned this moonship in other postings but it is interesting to see how basic design ideas are carried out to create a circumlunar ship.

1. The fuel tank are ejectable to you can get a high initial thrust without carrying extra weight.
2. The ship is streamlined because it is a "standard" orbiter ship launched from earth and then retrofitted for a journey by removing the wings and tail. The "capsule" sticking out of the side is actually an enclosed spacesuit/spacecraft they used to construct the space station and repair satellites in orbit.
3. The ship has a "pointy" nose not for streamlining but rather it separates the nuclear generator on the very nose of the ship from the passenger cabin.

 I still wonder why they chose a three "spoke"space station rather than two or four.

 Even with extra fuel it still took them five days to get to the Moon.