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Von Braun Concept Rockets | ||
The concept rockets designed by Wernher von Braun for exploring the moon and Mars are perhaps the singular most potent influence on the popular conception of what futuristic rockets will look like. This is due in part to von Braun's brilliant conception of space flight, plus the talented visionaries that worked with him to communicate his ideas in a compelling form. Popularization these ships began in 1952 when Collier's magazine published a series of articles illustrated by Chesley Bonestell. (see A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology by Melvin H. Schuetz and The Art of Chesley Bonestell by Ron Miller, Frederick C. Durant III, and Melvin H. Schuetz ).
These articles touched off America's fascination with space, and set the golden age of space exploration in motion. They also served as the models from which endless illustrations, toys, and movie effects were created. Even after a real space program has put man on the moon, these images still have a powerful appeal as what a rocket should be.
The articles and images from the Collier's article were eventually published in Across the Space Frontier and Conquest of the Moon. These books served as the inspiration for many young people who would choose careers in science and engineering. Carl Sagan and Harry G. Stine (the father of model rocketry) specifically cited their first encounter with Conquest of Space as a pivotal event in choosing their careers.
The following resources contain information and pictures from Bonestell's entire career. There are quite a few pictures based on the von Braun rockets included.
These rockets were further popularized in a series of three Disney programs called Man in Space, Man and the Moon, and Mars and Beyond. As far as I know, the Man in Space series has not been released by Disney in any form, but it does run on the Disney channel occasionally. Man in Space aired on ABC on March 9, 1955. The second episode aired in 1955, and the final episode aired on December 4, 1957.
An excellent article about the making of this feature, including many photos of the rocket props can be found in The E-Ticket Magazine in issue 24. The Mars Liner, which graced the entrance to Disney's tomorrowland for many years, is detailed in The E-Ticket issue 29. The E-Ticket is a periodical devoted to the history of Disneyland. At the time of this writing, back issues were still available.
There is a chapter in Dennis Piszkiewics's book Werner von Braun, The Man Who Sold the Moon devoted to this project, as well as some nice pictures of Dr. von Braun with various concept models.
NEWS FLASH: After years of rumors and a few months of postponements, the Man in Space series is finally out on DVD as part of the Walt Disney Treasures series that are released in metal boxes. You can order it from Amazon.com or Deep Discount DVD.
The following images are excerpted from Man in Space and Man and the Moon which is copyrighted material by Disney. These pictures are intended to be brief excerpts from the original for purposes of a scholarly review.
Note: Ward Kimball passed away July 9th, 2002 at age 88. He will be missed by many who enjoyed his animation and shared his enthusiasm for trains.
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Ward Kimball, producer of the show, describes the operation of the bottle suit using a detailed model. |
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Dr. von Braun shows off the Moon rocket. The strange disk on the nose is a radiation shield - the tip of the probe contains a nuclear reactor. |
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Interior of the moon rocket as the captain prepares for main engine start. Note the space wheel in the background. |
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Dr. von Braun describes the operation of the ferry rocket. The stages separate, and the orbiter can be removed as well. These are wonderful models - I wonder where they are now. |
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Dr. von Braun describes the operation of the space wheel. The center contains a nuclear reactor. The "guy wires" I always thought were for structural support are actually intended to be radiators. |
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Willy Ley describes the thrust chamber of a V2 motor. |
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Walt Disney introduces the show surrounded by von Braun's rockets - including the real-life Bumper WAC. |
The following series of models from Glencoe are reissues of old models from Strombecker which were based on the von Braun rockets and released with a Disney logo on the box. The re-issues have been out in stores for a number of years, but are still available in retail stores, and from the Glencoe web site. Some of these are pretty rough - particularly the space wheel, but remember that these kits were essentially dug out of the grave for a 2nd chance at life. [ note: June 2001, these models have been out of stock for a while with more promised - it remains to be seen whether Glencoe will actually produce more ]
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This rocket is one of Werner von Braun's designs. It was designed as part of a system of rockets for building an orbiting space station that would serve as a base for lunar and planetary exploration. These designs are among my favorite. |
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The lunar lander was part of von Braun's design for taking large ships to the moon from an orbiting base station. This model isn't exactly like the lander in Bonestell's paintings. |
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This rocket was built as a 76 foot tall (1/3 scale) mock up with a TWA logo as part of a ride in Disney's Tomorrowland. The rocket was the symbol of Tomorrowland from 1955 until it was removed in 1966. Even though it has been out of the public eye for almost 40 years, most people recognize the rocket, though they can't recall its origin. (the most identifiable Disney symbol is of course, Sleeping Beauty's Castle) Early visitors were told that this service would be offered by TWA in 1986. See E-Ticket Magazine reference above for more information. A 31 inch version of this model is available from Monsters in Motion |
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This rocket was part of von Braun's design for space exploration. This rocket would retrieve Mars rockets from their high altitude high speed orbits and bring them down to orbiting space stations. |
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The space wheel was the cornerstone of von Braun's original space exploration plan. He believed it was too expensive to lift an entire moon or Mars ship in a single boost - that any large rocket should be built in orbit. This idea was most likely not used in Apollo in order to speed up the time moon landing time rather than to optimize the long-term cost. |