Seriously, man; peep Musk's lander. That motherfucker's gonna fall right over. And look how the crew is supposed to get in and out. Musk's been watching too many shitty old science-fiction movies, the dumb sonofabitch. #RocketshipXM #DestinationMoon spaceflightnow.com/2026/03/10/n...
Heya folks, today I decided to watch two 1950 Oscar winners in the form of Sunset Boulevard and Destination Moon.
Sunset Boulevard was quite good, but Destination Moon was surprisingly accurate, but ultimately boring for a 1950s sci-fi film.
#sunsetboulevard #destinationmoon #movies #classicmovies
Tintin Blasts Off in Brick Form: LEGO® to Release the Iconic Moon Rocket!
LEGO brings Tintin's iconic Moon rocket to life
Read more in: buff.ly/1oXyPfN
#LEGO #Tintin #DestinationMoon #BrickBuild #SpaceRocket #Herge
![Uncorrected (sorry) OCR text reads, in part: "Wendy & Forry Ackerman Visit the Moon, by Wendayne Mondelle.
Do you want to havce a foretaste of thrills to come? Then Just imagine you had accompanied us to the set of DESTINATION MOON. Enter with us through the gate of General Service Studios,
wind your way through the maze of soundstages, office buildings, parkinglots…and finally here we are; on soundstage 3, the only place on earth that ever came as near to looking like the moon as the
real thing. . Clinch your eyes a bit end you will 1ind yourself in
the midst of the crater Harpalus; walk on the lava-scarred ground, jump across the deep crevices, where eons ago the solidified lava- flow has cracked. Let your eyes sweep around the awe-inspiring heights of the encircling mountain chains. .Wild, steeprising crags, receding in bluish shadows. Upward your glance roves, and meets the immensity of the spaceblue skyroof, sprinkled ell over with a plan less array of stars...and there you catch yourself; come back to earth, and laugh at yourself.
For a few moments you had yourself fooled riright, or, rather, Chesley Bonestell had made you imagine
with his lifelike reproduction of the moonlendscape that you had made the 240,000 mile jump to "up there". With photographic preci sion he has created an 173 foot by 120 by 25 mooncrater, which is actually based on photos taken by the Mount Wilson Observatory.
[They meet screenwriter Robert Heinlein & producer George Pal.]
Forry shows Pal some of the stills of FRAU IM MOND, a German sciencefiction film
of 25 yesrs ago. Pal gets very interested. "Pichel, come over here," he calls- to Irving Pichel, director "Look at
how Fritz Lang has pictured the moonlandscape." And soon a large group is gathered around us; everyone wants to have a look at these rare stills, which are part of Forry’s large collection of Fantasy-
film-Fotos.
Mr. Breuer, the Technicolor specialist; the makeup artist; the actors, Werner Anderson, alias Dr. Cargreves](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5jcucqldr3snixegr4fekdem/bafkreigibh4yqjksfv2ardmixuzfu3brzcm257rt6eakryibbpwkc3vkxm)
Uncorrected (sorry) OCR text reads, in part: "Wendy & Forry Ackerman Visit the Moon, by Wendayne Mondelle. Do you want to havce a foretaste of thrills to come? Then Just imagine you had accompanied us to the set of DESTINATION MOON. Enter with us through the gate of General Service Studios, wind your way through the maze of soundstages, office buildings, parkinglots…and finally here we are; on soundstage 3, the only place on earth that ever came as near to looking like the moon as the real thing. . Clinch your eyes a bit end you will 1ind yourself in the midst of the crater Harpalus; walk on the lava-scarred ground, jump across the deep crevices, where eons ago the solidified lava- flow has cracked. Let your eyes sweep around the awe-inspiring heights of the encircling mountain chains. .Wild, steeprising crags, receding in bluish shadows. Upward your glance roves, and meets the immensity of the spaceblue skyroof, sprinkled ell over with a plan less array of stars...and there you catch yourself; come back to earth, and laugh at yourself. For a few moments you had yourself fooled riright, or, rather, Chesley Bonestell had made you imagine with his lifelike reproduction of the moonlendscape that you had made the 240,000 mile jump to "up there". With photographic preci sion he has created an 173 foot by 120 by 25 mooncrater, which is actually based on photos taken by the Mount Wilson Observatory. [They meet screenwriter Robert Heinlein & producer George Pal.] Forry shows Pal some of the stills of FRAU IM MOND, a German sciencefiction film of 25 yesrs ago. Pal gets very interested. "Pichel, come over here," he calls- to Irving Pichel, director "Look at how Fritz Lang has pictured the moonlandscape." And soon a large group is gathered around us; everyone wants to have a look at these rare stills, which are part of Forry’s large collection of Fantasy- film-Fotos. Mr. Breuer, the Technicolor specialist; the makeup artist; the actors, Werner Anderson, alias Dr. Cargreves
![Uncorrected (sorry) OCR text reads, in part:
(the scientist whose invention of an atompowered driven spaceship will enable an American crew of four to take off to our neighbor in
the- sky 10 years hence); jolly Tom Powers, alias General Thayer, re tired Army man who finds out sone wicked foreigners have done it e- gain, and sabotaged the attempt to establish the first artifical earth satellite of anno 1954; which led to the abandonment of all further plans to fly beyond the earth’s atmosphere by the Army,
.< No, the enemy is not through yet, even in 1960, and so the General de
cides : either we. are going to be bombarded from high up there by
our dear neighbors, or they Will meet the same fate at our hands. So the obvious conclusion: Let us get up there in a hurry, before they beat us to it, but keep it hush-hush and get ready for the moonhop
in, oh, let me say, in p couple of weeks, But where are we going to get the necessary money? Thank God, here he is, John Archer, alias Jim Barnes, the inspired industrialist, who is financing the trip.
And now we have met all the pctors, with the exception of Dick Wesson, the ship’s radar man, who does not believe in the practica bility of spaceflight, but who is asked just to go through the motions. Well, now I see him over there, trying to join our crowd, strutting along in his cumbersome spacesuit.
But carrying on your frame 100 lbs. of space outfit might be alright on the moon; down here it gives
the little elegant'*effect of a deep sea diver. The spacesuit is a skyblue affair (we are told that the various actors have to wear dif ferently coloured suits, so they can be easily distinguished from each other, and more important, readily discerned from the drab-colored background of the moonset). Walkie-t?Ikie strapped around the
waist, oxygen cylinder on the back, diver’s helmet and heavy black rubber boots, with supposedly magnetized soles, complete our first space hero's outfit.
[ALT-Text continues in next image]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5jcucqldr3snixegr4fekdem/bafkreib6v3rf57775zosonecpu4kzqia45jh44r6prv65rqm6zm2asyb4m)
Uncorrected (sorry) OCR text reads, in part: (the scientist whose invention of an atompowered driven spaceship will enable an American crew of four to take off to our neighbor in the- sky 10 years hence); jolly Tom Powers, alias General Thayer, re tired Army man who finds out sone wicked foreigners have done it e- gain, and sabotaged the attempt to establish the first artifical earth satellite of anno 1954; which led to the abandonment of all further plans to fly beyond the earth’s atmosphere by the Army, .< No, the enemy is not through yet, even in 1960, and so the General de cides : either we. are going to be bombarded from high up there by our dear neighbors, or they Will meet the same fate at our hands. So the obvious conclusion: Let us get up there in a hurry, before they beat us to it, but keep it hush-hush and get ready for the moonhop in, oh, let me say, in p couple of weeks, But where are we going to get the necessary money? Thank God, here he is, John Archer, alias Jim Barnes, the inspired industrialist, who is financing the trip. And now we have met all the pctors, with the exception of Dick Wesson, the ship’s radar man, who does not believe in the practica bility of spaceflight, but who is asked just to go through the motions. Well, now I see him over there, trying to join our crowd, strutting along in his cumbersome spacesuit. But carrying on your frame 100 lbs. of space outfit might be alright on the moon; down here it gives the little elegant'*effect of a deep sea diver. The spacesuit is a skyblue affair (we are told that the various actors have to wear dif ferently coloured suits, so they can be easily distinguished from each other, and more important, readily discerned from the drab-colored background of the moonset). Walkie-t?Ikie strapped around the waist, oxygen cylinder on the back, diver’s helmet and heavy black rubber boots, with supposedly magnetized soles, complete our first space hero's outfit. [ALT-Text continues in next image]
Uncorrected (sorry) OCR text reads, in part: "Come on, let’s break it up," Director Pichel reminds us after everyone.has duly admired Worry’s treasures, and af ter George Pal has managed to borrow several of the stills to have photostats made for his own private collection. "Let’s move over to stage 2* We still have to shoot the scene where Dr. Cargraves will float in space." A whole procession takes place in the direction of sound stage 2. An immense hell, full of scaffoldings, wires strung through the air, an enormous technicolor camera, workmen busily ham mering, shouting instructions. Noise, rush and confusion, How ever do they get anything done? But in the meantime, Dr, Cargraves has been strung up cm the wires and-is dangling helplessly in the air like a marionette. This, incidently, is one of the high lights of the film, which is, straight told; serious reportage of what in all likelihood will take place when, in the near future, the trip to the moon will become a reality. Every effort has been made, Hein lein told us, to make the picture a documentary of the future, "as true to actual conditions ps we possibly could make it". And judging by all we have seen, we enthusiastically believe him. When we came back the second day, the huge bottom part of the space ship had been erected on the moonset. We saw the lower 25 feet, of.the 150 high space ship… The interior of the ship’s control room was constructed gimbal-like, so that for the scenes in free fall, ceiling could be come floor, walls turn to ceiling, by simply rotating the whole contraption. Cost only $25,000 to build that contraption alone. Chesley Bonestell took the trouble to explain each one of the sets designed by him in a charmingly conducted tour for us. He showed us all the models and sketches right from the planning stage on the drawing board to the completed nonsurplussable end product. One word of advice while closing this article: DON’T DARE MISS THIS PICTURE!
Scene from the film DESTINATION MOON. On the Moon, four crewmen, wearing brightly colored space suits and white helmets, stand near a ladder. The latter is attached to the bottom of their shiny metal rocket ship. The floor of the crater they've landed it is flat, but cris-crossed with black cracks. In the background is much rougher terrain; rocks, boulders, and in the distance, the high crater wall, giving the appearance of a mountain range. Above, the black sky is dotted with white stars. Photo copyright 1950 by Eagle-Lion Classics.
I'm interested in the topic of "Visitors to the set of DESTINATION MOON in late 1949."
Just came across Wendayne Ackerman's account in the LASFS fanzine SHANGRI-LA #18, Feb 1950.
Many thanks to Fanac.org volunteers for digitizing old $fanzines!
#ScienceFiction #DestinationMoon
#DestinationMoon, #tintin and the conquest of space!
Www.contactlight.de
Www.forallmankind.de
#ThisDayInFandomHistory: Released on this date in 1950, Destination Moon is an American Technicolor film, and the first major U.S. science fiction film to deal with the practical scientific and engineering challenges of space travel. #OnThisDay #DestinationMoon #OperationMoon
Four drawings depicting scenes of action in DESTINATION MOON, accompanied by text that describes them pretty well: "SEE the pull of gravity crush them deep into their crash-couches as the space-ship takes off at 32,000 feet a second. SEE the flyers risk death as they crawl outside the space-ship to repair their short-wave aerial--their only link with Earth. SEE the slip that sends a crew member adrift in space--facing the doom of floating forever in the vast black universe. SEE Man's greatest thrill as he finally sets foot on the Moon! Now, at last , his age-old dream of conquering space comes true!" These pictures are taken from the film's press kit, copyright 1950 by Eagle Lion Films.
That's not all there is to say about #DestinationMoon, but it's enough for tonight.
This movie is a milestone, fiercely devoted to technical accuracy, and still pretty watchable 75 years after it opened. Nice job, everyone.
28/28 (so far)
Outside the theater, four space-suit-wearing publicists pass out brochures advertising the film to men, women, and boys. Behind them, and high overhead, a large poster advertises "Endstation Mond" with a drawing of the Earth, a zooming rocket, the Moon, and an astronaut floating in space. Photo copyright 1951 by Otto Häublein.
Berlin, 1951: In German, the title becomes #EndstationMond.
At the Lichtburg theater, #DestinationMoon crew members pass out promotional flyers.
Photo: Otto Häublein, from Fotoarchiv Ruhr Museum.
27/n
Color photo of someone dressed in a DESTINATION MOON promotional suit that was auctioned in 2009. The wearer looks directly at the camera with hands on hips and feet apart. The suit is bright red, although other suits were in a variety of colors. At the belt level is a curved metal console holding several knobs and switches to control radio, oxygen flow, etc. Gloves and boots are not worn here, but the broad, oval-shaped silver helmet with a circular faceplate window is apparent.
The #DestinationMoon suits were re-used for many subsequent films and TV shows. I have wondered if the existence of a large number of promotional costumes might be a factor in their ubiquity.
Photo from a 2009 Profiles in History auction.
25/n
In downtown Berlin, with a cathedral in the background, a line of at least eight people wearing DESTINATION MOON spacesuits marches along. Several curious Berliners, including two boys about 11 years old, watch them. The suits are bulky, with bulges at elbows and knees. The marchers are hidden behind bulbous helmets and darkened faceplates.
July 1951: #DestinationMoon comes to Berlin.
Along with its suits.
24/n
Two men stand in the lobby of a movie theater, with pictures of landscapes hanging on the wall behind them. Criswell is entirely covered by the bulky space suit, which has distinctive padded rings at elbows and knees to suggest convolute pressure-suit joints. He wears cylindrical oxygen tanks on his back, and his head is covered by a bulbous silver helmet with a flat transparent window in front. Heinlein, a middle-aged balding man with a moustache, reaches out to adjust an electronic control on Criswell's belt. The scene is the Colorado Springs Chief Theater. Photo appeared in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph on October 23, 1950, page 9.
The iconic space suit costumes also became a handy tool for promoting the movie.
Many extra #DestinationMoon suits were made, and theater employees wore them throughout the US—eventually, throughout the world.
Here, usher Bud Criswell, dressed for the Moon, poses with #RobertAHeinlein.
23/n
Photo of three men in a factory workshop, examining a new design for a space suit. The man at center wears a silver garment; others hold up a bright orange coverall-style suit in front of him. It has a big ring at the neck for attaching a helmet. At its elbows and knees are accordion-like convolute joints to provide mobility under pressure. A still image from the film DESTINATION MOON.
Back to 1950. For #DestinationMoon, plausible space suits were necessary.
21/n
(Turns out our friends at Google Books have scanned SHEET METAL WORKERS JOURNAL, a publication I would never have thought to consult. Now I know more about the #DestinationMoon spaceship at 7th Avenue & 47th St than ever before!)
I wonder what Fritz Lang thought of it. Or Hermann Oberth.
19/n
The #DestinationMoon rocket, 85 feet (26 meters) tall and 12 feet (3.8 m) in diameter, required 195 man-days to fabricate, and 40 man-days to erect, under the direction of general foreman Hyman Fruchter, who was also president of the union local.
I wish I could have seen it. Wasn't born yet.
18/n
By which I mean, #DestinationMoon asked the Artkraft-Strauss Sign Company to make a giant rocket, and members of Sheet Metal Workers Local Union Number 137 executed the project.
They used 980 pounds of aluminum, with 2000 pounds of angle iron forming bracings and brackets to hold it up.
17/n
Huge metal rocket model, 85 feet (26 meters) tall, 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter, erected at the corner of a New York City building in 1950. The rocket is a streamlined cigar shape with swept tailfins, resembling the German V-2 rocket, but much larger. On the two adjacent faces of the building are huge posters as tall as the rocket, advertising the movie DESTINATION MOON.
Publicity is vital. The #DestinationMoon filmmakers wanted to make very sure that New Yorkers knew they had made a movie with a rocket in it.
So they turned a corner of the Mayfair Theatre into a rocket.
16/n
Only one recording of a CITY AT NIGHT episode survives. But fortunately for those of us interested in #DestinationMoon, it's this one!
youtu.be/FUo3ZfHFZJc?...
14/n
A van, bigger than a milk truck, smaller than a bus, containing Los Angeles station KTLA's remote television broadcasting studio, circa 1950. Two crewmen stand on the roof, where a TV camera is mounted on a tripod. Lettering on the side reads "KTLA Television." Several other people stand on the ground nearby; other items of equipment have been unloaded onto the ground behind the truck. Photo by KTLA.
The most fabulous #DestinationMoon visit was on Tuesday 13 Dec 1949, after shooting had wrapped, when a remote-broadcast van pulled up outside Stages #2 & 3. Its KTLA (@ktla.com) TV crew began preparing for an episode of THE CITY AT NIGHT.
(Photo: Van shooting a desert scene in that era.)
12/n
Among #DestinationMoon set visitors:
Robert S Richardson, astronomer & science communicator
Martin Schwarzchild, astrophysicist
Forrest J Ackerman, SF fan & literary agent
Bob Burns, SF movie buff, age 12
Members of the Pacific Rocket Society
Allan Grant, LIFE photographer
11/n
Proud of their work, and eager to publicize it, #DestinationMoon producer George Pál & director Irving Pichel allowed many visitors to the Eagle Lion Films soundstages at 7950 Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.
10/n
Cover of AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER: THE MAGAZINE OF MOTION PICTURE PHOTOGRAPHY for February 1950. A photo depicts a spectacular Moon landscape. The space voyagers have landed inside a crater; in the background is a rugged ring of mountains representing the crater wall. Nearer is the nearly flat floor of the crater, interrupted here and there with boulders. This floor is marked by a pattern dark, jagged cracks several meters apart. In the middle distance, spacemen in spacesuits and helmets are working to set up an astronomical telescope, about 20 centimeters in diameter and about 2 meters long. In the foreground, four members of the film crew are clustered around a camera boom. The camera is aimed to view the spacemen at work.
You could read about #DestinationMoon in
AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER: THE MAGAZINE OF MOTION PICTURE PHOTOGRAPHY.
9/n
Heinlein's behind-the-scenes #DestinationMoon ASTOUNDING article has been reprinted in a few places, for example his book REQUIEM.
books.google.com/books?id=YUH...
8/n
Cover of ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION magazine, July 1950 issue. Text reads "Shooting 'Destination Moon' by Robert A. Heinlein." A color photo from the film portrays space crew, each wearing a different color space suit, working on the surface of the Moon near their rocket. The tailfins and exhaust nozzle of the rocket are visible, as is a ladder with its bottom touching the ground, rising upward along the body of the spaceship. One crewman is setting up a telescope of roughly 20 centimeters aperture; gas cylinders and other items of equipment have been unloaded.
You could read "Shooting #DestinationMoon" by screenplay co-author & science adviser #RobertAHeinlein, already a major #ScienceFiction writer, in ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION for July 1950, page 6.
This would have appeared on newsstands several weeks before the late June premiere of the film.
7/n
You could read about #DestinationMoon in POPULAR MECHANICS.
books.google.com/books?id=gtk...
5/n
You could read about #DestinationMoon in POPULAR SCIENCE.
books.google.com/books?id=MC0...
4/n
Before 1950, very few films had attempted a (somewhat) realistic portrayal of a trip to the Moon.
The #DestinationMoon filmmakers were proud of their efforts and their wide-ranging publicity showed off rockets, space suits, lunar set, and cinematic tricks.
3/n
The best thing to read about #DestinationMoon is this.
In 2020, physicist and Project Apollo veteran Albert A Jackson wrote a 70th-anniversary retrospective on #DestinationMoon for Paul Gilster's (@gilster.bsky.social) Centauri Dreams blog.
2/n
