Man to the Moon (1962) part 1

It is approaching the 48th anniversary of people's first landing on the Moon. So here is a treasury of contractor's drawings, models, and paintings on how exploration of the Moon might work.  Some of these will be very familiar to you but as a massive collection I highly recommend this vision of the future that was being predicted in 1962. I need to break this one into two parts to share as many of these images as I can.

Rush, Hanniford. Man to the Moon: The Wonderful World of Project Apollo. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co. (96 p.) 27 cm. Softcover. 1962

 With lots of photographs of contractor's space art of proposed Apollo designs the text covers the plan to go to the Moon, some of the plans for exploration, Moon colonies, what private life on the Moon might be like, and how we may explore the solar system.  Lots of amazing pictures of Moon domes, Moon vehicles, and civilians on the Moon.

Excellent space gadgets! I like how the author "harvested" illustrations from all over the place. There were so many proposals being considered at that time.

For example here is a great set of proposed mission illustrations.

This drawing isn't very accurate but it is dramatic.

Finally, Here is a handful of "Moon Buggies" to get you around.the Moon.  Part 2 soon!

RM-1 Startuje. (Polish space science book) (1959)

This is a book that I do not know very much about so I would appreciate corrections/translation by any readers.

It seems to cover general science topics, including spaceflight. It was sent to me by a reader who was part of disposing of a huge collection  of books. When he say this he thought I needed it for my collection He said, "I cannot read or speak Polish, so I have no idea what the title means. Perhaps you can decode it with your knowledge of space exploration."

RM-1 Startuje. Zygmunt Dabrowski and Witold Kozak. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Harcerskie, 1959. 125 p. Softcover.

"Wyspa Ciolkowskiego" translates as "Tsiolkovsky Island" which is a perfect name for a space station!

This illustration suggests it may have been intended for use in a school setting.

The Moon (1966)

The Moon is part of the Follett Beginning Science book series. This was intended  as a school reader to get young students interested in science topics. Although it has basic text some of the painted illustrations are very beautiful.

Asimov, Isaac. Illustrated by Ebel, Alex. The Moon. Chicago: Follett Publishing Co.(32 p.) 21 cm. "Follett Beginning Science Book" series.

 It has just a couple of illustrations of the Moon and manned missions on the Moon's surface but what is there is very memorable.

For example this double page spread illustration deserves to have some the the details in it highlighted:

 This illustration is subtly ridiculous, however I would have loved to see an Apollo astronaut do the same feat.

 I am fascinated that this lunar lander is a much more British Interplanetary Society design than anything we usually see in American books.

I also enjoy the "mood" the artist brought to this image of day and night temperatures on the Moon.

Finally both of these images depict a future with equipment that never made it from the "dream" technology of some aerospace engineers.

Atom, the Little Moon Monkey (1970)

So here is my sad posting for you. Those with sensitive natures will want to skip this one. For  wherever I post a book about animals in space I regularly get a comment that I have not reminded people that many of the animals died during their "missions."

So Atom, the Little Moon Monkey, is the solution (SPOILER ALERT!!!). Atom dies at the end of this beautiful and peculiar children's book. Yes I was shocked when I first read this one but at least (as you will see) he gets to go to monkey heaven. I quote:

Atom, the little moon monkey. Anne Philipe. Illustrated by Jacqueline Duhème. New York : Harlan Quist, 1970. 28 p. 29 cm. "A Here-and-There book."

He loves another but has to be separated from her.

So very beautiful up to this point. Highly colorful abstract and impressionistic illustrations. NOW IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE SKIP THESE FINAL ILLUSTRATIONS!

 The book explains that suddenly Atom is not lonely or cold any more. They do not show his death simply he is joined with his true love in their jungle paradise. The dangers of biomedical space research for children. :)