Space....50's Style!

A few days ago, my friend George Sprague sent me the following picture:

It turns out he found it on Etsy and thought I might find it cool (which I obviously did!) I did a little research (very little) and found out that although I thought it might have been a recent takeoff on what a 1950's coloring book might have been like, it, in fact, really was published in 1953. I love the subject matter, which seems to focus on our "Space Husband" and "Space Wife" arguing over directions on some distant planet. (Note who has the map). In the background looms one of those really cool 50's space ship that makes no scienticic sense, but gets all kinds of style points.

You can actually purchase a poster of this comic book cover on eBay, and the book itself seems to come up every once in a great while. So, thanks to George, I now have something else to check my favorite online garage sale for!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

Luck is in the Stars...Trek

Every once in a while things just turn out really cool. Take, for example, when several years ago I ordered an Estes Klingon Battle Cruiser off of eBay. The example that I purchased was pretty darn cheap due to the fact that it apparently was found in a flooded basement. The box was rotted and warped, as were the exposed rocket parts. However, the only tough to replace parts were 1. plastic or 2. in plastic bags. Yep, the tubes and balsa were shot, but the decals and plastic parts looked like they were fine!

When I got the package in the mail, I quickly opened it to see if I had made a good deal....and saw something a bit odd. There was an extra plastic bag that looked a lot like this:

It was obviously not part of the Klingon, but what was it? Then I found this:

Yep, in addition to my Estes Klingon Battle Cruiser, I had a complete bagged AMT U.S.S. Enterprise from TNG!...with the instructions! Bonus!

Now, it has been several years, and I still haven't built the kit. However, some day I probably will. Until then, I can look at it and remember that sometimes good things just happen...and that can be pretty uplifting on tough days!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!

The Dream of Space....Mountain

Sometimes when things are being planned, the imagination soars far above what can actually be achieved. Case in point, Disney's Space Mountain. Although this is a great attraction, what was planned was probably even cooler.

First, a little history. Space Mountain was originally dreamed up in the mid 1960's as a way to tap into America's fascination with the space race. It was to be built at Disneyland (Walt Disney World didn't exist yet) and was to be called Space Port. In a way, it was a "next generation" Rocket to the Moon, and would allow guests to blast through space in a dark, indoor roller coaster...well, mostly indoors. Take a look at this:

Illustration from a 1968 Disneyland map

Those things that look a lot like coaster tracks on top of the ride building were supposed to be exactly that. So, part of the ride would be indoors, and part out. Notice, also, that the building is pretty much square, not round as it eventually turned out.

Unfortunately, two major problems arose with the project. First, the technology didn't exist to run multiple trains on the same track. Computers just weren't up to the task of keeping track of individual coaster trains. Second, Walt Disney passed away in 1966, which put many projects on the back burner...or killed them completely.

But Walt's indoor space coaster was going to be built. By 1973 computers had evolved enough to do the required task. Also, a whole new park had opened in Florida that had a Tomorrowland that really needed a star attraction. So, in 1975, Space Mountain opened 3000 miles away from where it was originally intended.

Disneyland was not forgotten, however. In 1977 their version opened as well. In fact, there are now versions of the iconic ride in five Disney parks world wide. In Paris, guests are even outside briefly!

So there you go. The world's first space race roller coaster is still going strong. Hopefully we can say the same about the space program soon!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!