It IS rocket science

After the last post on rockets and space, I thought I would trot out a couple of my memorabilia items. First is a book that came out during the IGY to tout the U.S. IGY satellite program. It was written by the prolific polymath and popular science writer Willie Ley, published in 1957 by General Mills. I wonder if this had anything to do with GM's biological warfare programs? Holy (holey) Cheerios! The 44-page book discusses plans to launch at least six Vanguard three-stage rockets during the IGY, carrying satellites as payloads. Unlike other noted rocket scientists, Ley was appalled by the rise of the Nazis and left Germany in 1935.

Ley had become interested in spaceflight after reading German rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth's book about spaceflight. Oberth was one of three early 20th century rocket flight visionaries, along with American Robert Goddard and Russian Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.

I have two commemorative postcards that with cachets by the Hermann Oberth Society. That Society has since merged with others to become part of the German Society for Air and Space Travel. The stamp on each card is the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) 1961 15-pfennig stamp portraying Martin Luther, Scott catalog Germany #828. Both cancellations are dated June 26, 1964, from Darmstadt, for the 13th Rocket and Space Travel Days. The top cachet depicts NASA's Project Gemini (1962-66), and the other honors Project Apollo (1961-72). 

I've previously showed you a 1964 first day cover with the Robert Goddard stamp that I collected in my youth. I also have two Soviet stamps of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. The first is the 40-kopeck Scott catalog #1991 (Russia, 40), issued on Oct. 7, 1957, just three days after the launch of Sputnik 1. I assume this stamp was waiting in the wings pending the Soviets' first satellite launch, since it does not commemorate an anniversary date of Tsiolkovsky's birth or death. 

With a little more prep time, the USSR issued a stamp on Nov. 28 1957 (Scott #2021), with the same design, and an overprint which translates as "Oct 4, 1957 - First artificial satellite in the world." The bragging rights were duly earned.

If you want to see even an older space movie than First Man Into Space (last post) about extraterrestrial travel, how about Frau im Mond (Woman in the Moon, 1929)? Directed by Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M), it was an early sci-fi silent epic, just as the movies were adding sound. Parts are impressive, parts are silly by today's (or my) standards. Shaving an hour off the 2:50 run time would have made this story a bit tighter. Yet there was some decent rocketry stuff in the film, due to credited assistance from Hermann Oberth, and (according to Wikipedia) an even more substantial but uncredited input from Willy Ley.

I used to launch Estes model rockets with my sons, which became the basis for a couple of science fair projects. I also used rockets for some enrichment activities on the laws of motion with high school student gifted programs. Hmm, maybe I should do another countdown?

Son Max on the launch pad with his 6th grade science fair project, 1995

Blastoff!