Men Into Space

MORE SCIENCE THAN FICTIONBefore Lost In Space, before Star Trek, and before Space 1999, Americanaudiences were regaled by the weekly thrills, perils, and otherworldlyexploits of Men Into Space, the first-ever "hard science" sci-fiprogram. Popular actor William Lundigan appeared as the redoubtableColonel Edward McCauley, who grappled with many of the same problemsthat real astronauts encountered in their quest to reach the Moon adecade later. It was a somber departure from previous televised sciencefiction fare, aimed at juveniles, and served up the drama and excitementof space flight in realistic fashion. In 38 black-and-white episodes,McCauley endures lunar crashes, renegade satellites, runaway spacestations, meteor strikes, and colliding tankers, in addition tomemorable encounters with feuding scientists, balky subordinates,hostile cosmonauts, and space babes. All told, Men Into Space is aclassic slice of 1950s Americana and exuberantly reflects the nationalobsession with astronautics of its day. It is a must for devotees of theheroic age of spaceflight and early science fiction television. Thisground-breaking booklet examines the historical context of the seriesand its rise and fall, along with biographies of all major personalitiesinvolved with its production. Includes two appendices and footnotes;profusely illustrated.John C. Fredriksen received his doctorate in history from ProvidenceCollege. He is the author of 30 reference books on various topics.