"First Men to the Moon!" This Week Magazine, October 5, 1958

"It's more than science fiction-- it's science fact!"

This Week Magazine for Oct 5, 1958 featured the serialization of Wernher von Braun's book:

First Men to the Moon, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York (1958).  This book was a fictional story of an expedition to the Moon. Written at a popular level it humanized the possibilities of how human might explore the Moon. Unfortunately I currently have only part 1 of the serialization. Imagine a story like this coming with your Sunday paper and a child picking it up after their parents were done with it.

Of course this was illustrated by the amazing Fred Freeman.

The timetable points out how soon this might be a reality. Also the graph on the right is in von Braun's own handwriting.

 

 

Colliers Part 5 : March 7, 1953

The 5th part of the 8 part Colliers space series has been put online in the March/April 2013 issue of IAAA Houston Newsletter "Horizons". This one covers the Collier’s magazine space articles of March 7, 1953, Man’s Survival in Space, Testing the Men

These are the best digital versions of these illustrations you will ever see. Be sure to check them out.

http://www.aiaahouston.org/newsletter/

"After Apollo - Exploring the Moon" Aerojet-General Spacelines and Rocket Review (1962 edition)

Not really a children's book or publication but I will make the case it is connected to space science in the classroom in the 1960s.  Aerospace companies like Aerojet-General Corp.(a subsidiary of The General Tire and Rubber Co.)  would issue newsletters about their work in aerospace. In this case it was something that was also sent to teachers who requested a copy.

It was a way for the teachers to get recent updates and news on the space program to share in the classroom.  In the center of this one is a great 1962 spread on what might be possible post-Apollo:

The details and various illustrations in this article give a snapshort of 1 company's proposal for the future.

 

 

I have seen this spacesuit design before but had never seen this diagramic illustration of how the suit and "moonmobile" were to go together.

 

 

 Beyond the illustration of this classic moon-suit, I really like the pictures of the next generation of moonships and the expedition to further explore the lunar surface

I also like the suggestion of a 500 mile expedition across the lunar surface in their "moonmobile".

This illustration of an Earth-based training facility is also pretty keen, especially the idea that the astronauts would train under vacuum conditions.

Viagem A Lua (Travel to the Moon) (1956)

This is a Disney children's book  in Portuguese. It is part of a 6 book series produced in Brasil. This one concerns Mickey and Donald building a rocket in their barn to go to the Moon in order to win a  ten million dollar prize. (But why is Goofy on the cover, fishing?)

Viagem A Lua ( Colecao Favorita #6)
Rio  de Janeiro: Editora Brasil-America, 1956

However Peg-leg Pete gets a hold of their rocket and tries to take the credit (and money) himself.

Wheeled rockets are easier to move via trailer but why do they launch it straight up? I guess the wheels don't cause an aerodynamics problem because of their sophisticated power plant.

But everything works out and they get to explore the Moon. Observe the sophisticated lunar sampling tool.

The trip back home is lonely and long (with Pete tied up).

They make it back to Earth and tell the reporters that the Moon is interesting but that Earth is better. Meanwhile Pete is dizzy (disney?) from being in zero-g and is having trouble adjusting to Earth gravity.

UPDATE:

It is a reprint of this 1952 Golden Book
"Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse and His Space Ship" A Little Golden Book.

Experiments in the Principles of Space Travel (1955)

Another of the old scans.  I have just the cover scanned and need to dig in the archives for more.

Branley, Franklyn M. Illustrated by Wong, Jeanyee. Experiments in the Principles of Space Travel. New York: Thomas Y Crowell. (119 p.) 21 cm. 1955

As the book says "space travel is inevitable". The purpose of this book was to educate the reader in the basic scientific principles of space travel. The text discusses distances in space, streamlining and rocket design, powering the ship, and condition found in space. Contains simple experiments showing various  principles covering the areas that a "junior space engineer" would be expected to know.  Illustrations of space suits, rockets, space stations. Also see 1966, 1973 editions.

Moon Money (1969)

Not sure how to describe this except as ephemera/toy.  Play money is a pretty cool toy at times and this was issued in 1969 as a souvenir of the landing on the Moon.  I was lucky enough to have a friend give me this package of "Moon Money" when he was cleaning house.  Not rare but really fun to look at.

 Copyright 1969 by "Texantics Unlimited, 2120 McKinney, Houston, U.S.A."

 There is a lot of information and symbols crammed into each side of the bill:
-Unified Space over America
-signed by Victor E. O'Greencheez, Asseyer of Moondust and Philthy Luke R. Kaiser, Projector of Moonbeams
-This note signifies that NASA's saga of success has a space era effect of unifying all mankind.
-This commemorative currency honors the amazing space flight and walk on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, July 16-20-24, 1969
-Moondust certificate
-Moon Dublunars
-Apollo Eleven, A 100, NASA Bank this with Tranquility, Space City USA
-Dedicated to all Apollo crewmen
-Apollo Series M
-N X D MOON PDQ 4 B 9 V D 0 (Annex the moon  pretty damn quick for benign video?)
-N R G 2 XL R 8 (energy to accelerate)
-E Z 4 U 2 XL B A MOONMAN (easy for you to excel, be a moonman)
-the engraving has Saturns 5s, Apollo capsules, and the Command module/Lunar module


-

On the reverse side we see:
-Unified Space Over America
 -Saturn 5 Blast-off /Columbia-Eagle (above and below the left picture) The sign next to the rocket says "Translunar Skyway 1."
-The center picture is the path to the Moon plus tiny icons for the stages of the mission
-One small step for a man/ One giant leap for mankind (above and below right picture).
-Engraving has 1st step on the moon in a crescent moon
-This currency may be exchanged at Bank of Tranquility for Moon Mad-money, Astro Dough, Lunar Lucre, Solar Simoleons, Cosmic Coin, Moon Mazuma, Celestial Cash, Laser Loot, Green(Cheese) Backs, Satellite Shillings, Blast-off Bucks, or all the moonrocks you can carry on your first lunar sojourn.

"Space Dittos" (1962?)

"Ditto" from 1962

Come away with me to the dark ages of space flight in the classroom and the world of dittos.

"Dittos" were paper sheets distributed in the classroom and created by using a spirit duplicator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duplicating_machines#Spirit_duplicators

They were called dittos because they were made on a machine manufactured by "Ditto" and they were usually "aniline purple."

They tended to fade over time so you rarely see ones from the 1960s.  However the ditto masters themselves were sold pre-made to teachers in sets.

I found a set of (1962?) books which shows the contents of one of these science sets. These were tiny (3" x 6") books showing what the final printed image would look like. So the teacher could look through the book to preview which image they wanted to print.

This seemed to be from a 1962 set of science worksheets for 6th graders because they mention John Glenn and Alan Shepard.

 Notice the "cute" cartoons at the bottom from "Sammy Science!"

This one is from the 4th grade book

Maybe of interest to only a few of you but I am fascinated how information about space flight "trickled" down to children via school.