A Fleet of Atomic-Electric Space Ships Embark For Mars, 1957

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A Fleet of Atomic-Electric Space Ships Embark For Mars, 1957

Earlier this week we showed you the wonderful “cosmic soap opera” from Disney’s “Mars and Beyond” television show from 1957. This much more serious clip shows what a future expedition to Mars might look like. The spaceships (conceptualized by Ernst Stuhlinger and Werner von Braun) were 500 feet in diameter and powered by electricity generated by the atomic reactor carried in the tail. This meant they could operate continuously over a period of years. Each carried a small landing craft for descent to the Martian surface, and had quarters for 20 men (in 1957, there was no mention of female astronauts). P.S. The sound is a little faint, crank it up or use your headphones.

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