Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:42 — 6.8MB)
In the far flung, futuristic year of 1965, an exciting adventure into space is about to begin. At least that’s the way it appeared to folks in the mid 1950’s.
As a crew of astronauts blast off from the Australian Outback on a trip to the moon, join them in the cockpit of the rocket to experience the stresses of lift off. Despite the joy of being weightless, the crew is faced with some serious issues. Are they off course? Will their remaining fuel be enough, or will they be forced to turn back without landing on the moon?
Things start looking bleak when a wierd kind of music is heard, then the radio comes to life with good news from Earth. After a collision with a meteor, there’s even a space walk. That wierd music makes a return. What’s the deal with that? But hey, this is just the first installment of a series. You just can’t get to the moon in a half hour segment, not even in the 1950’s. There’s lots more of adventure, and the toughest parts are yet to come.
A lot of the science in this series is good, but I somehow don’t think that rockets move by breaking free of Earth’s gravity, and falling toward the surface of the moon. Then there’s that instance of astronauts would light up and smoke in an oxygen rich environment.
Listen in, enjoy, and see how folks in the 1950’s envisioned what space travels would be all about.
Bonus Track:
Graham MacNamie. 1940. Letters from Listeners.
