A Romantic Rendezvous...

Ok, maybe not all that romantic, but it made for a good title! The subject for this week's post is the Gemini missions and how one toy company got a lot right about them.

Let me back up a bit. A few weeks ago my wife and I were searching for treasure at a local antique mall when I spotted this:

This is the Wolverine company's Rendezvous in Space Game! This tin and plastic bagatelle game was made in the early 1960's when the space race was really heating up. It features two Gemini spacecraft doing what they were actually designed to do... conducting a rendezvous! In the closeup below, you can see that not only are the spacecraft close to each other, but they are conducting a spacewalk as well! Clearly someone at Wolverine was paying attention to the space program. The spacecraft are even fairly accurate!

In the lower closeup, you can see that although the Titan launch vehicle is fairly close, the artist couldn't resist a couple of flights of fantasy. There are a couple of decidedly 1950's sci-fi spacecraft and a Disneyesque space station. Still, it really just adds to the fun.

And how fun is it? Well, more than I would have thought! My wife Laurie has already said that I've gotten my money's worth. So although I paid a lot more than it originally cost in 1962, I count it a bargain!

So, there you have it! Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!