30.5.09
3.5.09
Inside the von Braun Rocket
A three-stage rocket ship prior to take-off from its base on Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean. The ship rests on a movable platform; it is boarded, loaded, and fueled from a stationary structure not shown in the picture. For today's comparatively small rockets the firing table is stationary and the Gantry crane movable; for large rockets this procedure will be reversed.
The von Braun three-stage rocket
from "Across the Space Frontier"
Edited by Cornelius Ryan
illustration by Rolf Klep
1952
2.5.09
Meteor Storm
"Meteor Storm" by Tom O'Reilly
from The Complete Book of Outer Space (1953)
1.5.09
Electric Robot & Son
In the 1950's Electric Robot and Son were manufactured in the U.S.A. by Louis Marx in response to the immensely popular Robert the Robot by rival manufacturer Ideal Toys. Electric was just different enough from Robert to avoid copyright infringement, yet the strong similarities undoubtedly appealed to young buyers with smaller budgets.This toy robot was molded with a black plastic body (there was also a rare silver-brown version) with moveable red head and arms was electrically powered by two batteries, allowing Electric to illuminate his bulb eyes, run along on manually steerable rubber wheels (forward and reverse), and make loud buzzings through a morse code button on his back (a nifty code guide was inscribed on the back of his head). Also on his head is an extendible antennea with an adjustment knob, knobs for right and left arm movement and from his chest opens a small draw with tools (aka the tool chest for a hammer, wrench & scewdriver).
Completing Electric's gadgetry is a smaller "baby" version of himself, all red, and clad in a silvery diaper who the proud Father could swing from one of his silver clawed graspers.
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