Here are a few authentic model spaceships, which appeared in trade journals and at industrial events during the 1950's and 1960's.
Above is a 1961 Display model of NASA nuclear mars rocket at the New York Space Flight Report to the Nation [American Rocket Society] 1961. It's clearly similar to our friend the SWORD Booster Rocket as blogged previously by Wotan.
I asked the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics [the modern day American Rocket Society] if they recognised the model, which they said is most likely from "EMPIRE: Early Manned Planetary Interplanetary Roundtrip Expeditions, was a Marshall study with contractual support. Further information concerning EMPIRE is available at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and cite the following: (1) Ordway, Sharpe and Wakeford, EMPIRE: Background and Initial Dual-Planet Mission Studies, paper IAA-90-631, 41st Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, Dresden, 6-12 October, 1990, 40 pages, and (2) the published version appearing as Chapter 1 in History of Rocketry and Astronautics, International Academy of Astronautics History Series Volume 11, edited by J.D. Hunley, San Diego, 1997: Univelt, pages 3-62.. Note: the paper also appeared in two issues of the British Interplanetary Society" [Courtesy of Fred Ordway via Emily Springer, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Virginia, USA]
Above: "Krafft Ehricke Convair Manned Lunar Reconnaissance Vehicle - Late 50's lunar orbital manned spacecraft, designed by the space visionary Krafft Ehricke. This image is from an official late fifties Convair photo". Picture and caption credit: pcarsola flickr [thank you]. I love the Tarheel boxart - like look of this!
Above: "Convair Shuttlecraft - Late 50's manned space shuttle designed by the space visionary Krafft Ehricke. This image is from an official late fifties Convair photo. SDASM collection." Picture and caption credit: pcarsola flickr [thank you]. Again very Tarheel SWORD box- like!
Krafft Ehricke with models of his rocket concepts in the 1960's. The two Convair models in the preceeding photo's appear with him. Picture: LIFE.
Rocket conceptualist Krafft Ehricke (left) being interviewed by CBS journalist Walter Cronkite, September 26th 1966. Check out that fabulous Probe Force 1-like model rocket they're discussing. I tried to find this interview on You Tube but to no avail. Picture credit and full picture caption: 21st Century
There are more cool photographs of 1950's and 60's models, including View Master diorama's, taken at the time over on the wonderful pcarsola's flickr pages.
I would welcome any more images/info of 1950's/60's/70's space models taken at the time for the aero industry or modelling community or indeed by toy and modelling fans!
Some of Krafft Ehricke and Wernher von Braun's space designs were modelled in kit form by the American company Strombecker in the late 1950s. A few were reissued by Glencoe in the 1990s.
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I do like pcarsola's flickr pages ... thanks for that, Woodsy.
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