From space pioneers to modernday missions, it's a thrilling look at man's quest to conquer space.From space pioneers to modernday missions, it's a thrilling look at man's quest to conquer space.From space pioneers to modernday missions, it's a thrilling look at man's quest to conquer space.
Photos
Edward Platt
- Dr. Easton
- (as Edward C. Platt)
Sam Edwards
- Technician
- (uncredited)
Biff McGuire
- Technician
- (uncredited)
Ed Prentiss
- Mr. Duffy
- (uncredited)
Bert Remsen
- Technician
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie apparently went unseen until Sinister Cinema made it available on home video in 2001. There is no record of any television broadcast.
- ConnectionsEdited from Conquest of Space (1955)
Featured review
Early vision of how manned space exploration would work.
The consensus is this "movie" was actually a pilot for a TV series that was not pursued. Although rockets had been used for centuries in various peacetime and war applications, it was not until 1957 when Russia launched a Sputnik into Earth orbit, followed a few months later by a 1958 USA satellite in Earth orbit that actual space exploration began. So this pilot was made right on the heels of those two accomplishments.
A giant wheel-type, rotating space station is already in orbit 500 miles above the Earth. Routine travel between the station and Earth is already in practice, shuttling both astronauts and dignitaries as needed. Instead of putting a ship in orbit and gradually approaching the station, as we now know it works, they have the rocket just climbing directly to the station. They land on a terminal of sorts, just a few dozen yards away from the station, then with space suits on, push themselves off a platform, like you might dive off the edge of a pool, and float towards the space station. If only it were that easy!
Anyway the project at hand is to launch a rocket with crew to land on the Moon, a stated goal is to establish a Moon base. Ironically that is exactly what we are intending to do today, in 2022 and beyond, with the Artemis project. Also the SpaceX goal to travel to and settle of Mars. It is pretty interesting how closely a 60+ year old TV pilot mirrors what is going on now.
For a 1950s show the special effects are not that bad. However being the pilot for a TV series there is lots of dialog, including a congressional hearing to find out about some problems the mission are facing, including being hit by a meteoroid. Also some hint of a romance. Not a great film by any measure, it is great fun to see how they looked at possible space travel long before we actually had any human space travel.
I found it streaming on U-Tube.
A giant wheel-type, rotating space station is already in orbit 500 miles above the Earth. Routine travel between the station and Earth is already in practice, shuttling both astronauts and dignitaries as needed. Instead of putting a ship in orbit and gradually approaching the station, as we now know it works, they have the rocket just climbing directly to the station. They land on a terminal of sorts, just a few dozen yards away from the station, then with space suits on, push themselves off a platform, like you might dive off the edge of a pool, and float towards the space station. If only it were that easy!
Anyway the project at hand is to launch a rocket with crew to land on the Moon, a stated goal is to establish a Moon base. Ironically that is exactly what we are intending to do today, in 2022 and beyond, with the Artemis project. Also the SpaceX goal to travel to and settle of Mars. It is pretty interesting how closely a 60+ year old TV pilot mirrors what is going on now.
For a 1950s show the special effects are not that bad. However being the pilot for a TV series there is lots of dialog, including a congressional hearing to find out about some problems the mission are facing, including being hit by a meteoroid. Also some hint of a romance. Not a great film by any measure, it is great fun to see how they looked at possible space travel long before we actually had any human space travel.
I found it streaming on U-Tube.
helpful•00
- TxMike
- Sep 8, 2022
Details
- Runtime51 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- 1.37 : 1(original ratio)
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