Tsiolkovsky (1964)

Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was a Soviet pioneer of spaceflight ideas similar to America's Robert Goddard.  Many of the children's books published in Russia point to him and his influence proudly.  Here is a 1964 book totally devoted to his life and his influence on the 1960s space program.

Children's Digest "The Perils of Space" (Sept 1961)

There were a number of magazines for children in the 1950s and 1960s. Those of us who grew up at that time remember these as home reading (gifted by relatives), summer reading, or supplemental reading in school (or doctor's and dentist's offices).

Children Digest Sept 1961 "The Perils of Space" Mortimer Lawrence. Illustrated by Dave Klein. From:

THE ROCKET'S RED GLARE. THE CHALLENGE OF OUTER SPACE. By Mortimer
W. Lawrence. Illustrated with photographs. New York: Coward·McCann, Inc. 210 Madison Ave., 1960. pp. 121.

 I appreciate his expression, "Gs" aren't fun.

Radiation in between does not worry an astronaut that much. If he is flying fast enough, all it can do is bleach his hair!

 I am not sure how long it would take for a rocket ship to "wear away" even if it is a hazard.

A nice snapshot of what the space race felt like at the time.

Punch-Out Satellite Rocket Launcher (1959)

A very beautiful (and rare) punch-out book.

Punch-Out Satellite Rocket Launcher. New York: Dell Publishing, Co. 6 pp. 32 x 19 cm. 1959. A Dell Children's Book #149.

 What seems most amazing to me (beside the great cover art) is that you are able to construct this cardboard rocket to launch!

 Punch-out books are hard to show off but here are a few of the charming features.

 First of course is the satellite. It's a monkey in a capsule.

 Then there is the military man directing the fueling crew, including Mario (who somehow snuck into the book.)

 The workers who built the rocket and do the final preparation and the fuel tanker.

Here are the actual punch-out pages: