Thursday, January 5, 2012

Space Station for a Fine Young Astronaut (1960)


This is my attempt to display one of my favorite pop-up books by photographing it. When it is flat it seems just a spiral bound book, but when you open it it becomes a space station!  Here is a view of it from the top:


Hallmark Cards. Space Station for A Fine Young Astronaut. New York: Hallmark Cards. (4 p.) 18 x 21 cm. Illustrated Boards. 1960
When the book is opened you see the different rooms of the space station.



That is not a space rock in the station, just a colorful weight I used to hold it still. This is the Decompression-Refueling station.

The book folds out/pops up into a 4 room space station, each section of the station is heavily labeled with all controls and hatches indicated. Rooms include: Decompression-Refueling station, Control-Communications Center, Recreation Station and Life Support Center.

 First up is the Control-Communications Center.





Comes with 3 additional punch-out pages: 1 instructions, 1 with space capsule, 1 with astronauts and equipment. There is also 1 page of text on the back cover about space stations and conditions in space.  



 This is the Life Support Center.


 And finally the Recreation Area, with plenty of storage.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.




 

7 comments:

  1. Wow! I had that when I was little. I partially cut out one of the circles on the floor to make an airlock hatch.

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  2. Wow, I have one of these. I received it in 1966 for my 8th birthday, signed and dated on one of the sections from next door neighbors where I grew up in Chicago. It is indeed cool. I also have a Hallmark spiral bound just like this called The Christmas story from the same year and same neighbors. Thanks for sharing these photos. :):)

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  3. It would be interesting to recreate this as a modernized version. Think ISS maybe, but also Moon base, Mars base, etc.

    I wonder if there's any kind of a strict patent/copyright on that style of book?

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  4. I got mine for my birthday in 1964 or 65, If I remember correctly. I still have it packed away somewhere.

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  5. Have you ever seen a non-Hallmark space station book? It had hatches between compartments, and punch-out astronauts as well.

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  6. I had one of these as well. I'm sure your 1970 date is off. I got mine in early 1965, just before we moved from LA to Burbank. For some odd reason I remember that LOX tank! Thanks for the photos!

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  7. Thanks for the tour! I remember getting one and sharing it with my twin brother for Chanukah around 1965 in Ann Arbor. Fondly remember the hatches that opened to the each room. It was a very neat design concept.

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