past pictures
of the week
05:04:13 - 05:18:13
05:04:13 -- PICTURES OF THE WEEK: From 1952, 36-year old engineer Bill Horton's lifting body plane, then undergoing taxiing and flight tests at Orange County airport in California. Inaccurately nicknamed the "wingless plane", it actually featured short clipped wings designed to retract into the fuselage during flight. With dimensions of 26 feet by 40 feet, the body was built around the engines, main spar and landing gear of a twin-engine Cessna monoplane, and was powered by two 225-horsepower engines. Subject to much hoopla at the time -- including multiple stories in national magazines -- the fate of Horton and his plane was not a happy one. In September, 1954, Horton and his Horton Aircraft Company were permanently enjoined by the United States District Court in Los Angeles from making false and misleading statements in the sale of Horton Aircraft stock. In a summary contained in its newsletter, the Securities and Exchange Commission stated:
The Commission found that the wingless plane in fact had wings which extended about 8 feet from the fuselage and had a depth of 5 to 6 feet, and that these wings, although retractable had never been retracted in flight. "The registration statements should have disclosed," the Commission stated, "that the Horton plane, which was remodelled from a standard airplane, has in general performed in a manner inferior to that of a conventional plane Horton has used as a basis for comparison, that his plane admittedly was not built to fly any distance and the test flights were short, the longest flight being about 150 miles, that the maximum speed of the plane was about one-half that of another plane using the same motors, and that it had never been tested for range or load-carrying capacity. The second registration statement should have further disclosed that the prototype has not been test flown since it crashed in landing in June. 1955."
As a result of the charges, a criminal case was brought against him and Horton was convicted on March 8,1957, of fraud in the sale of Horton Aircraft stock. Sentenced to 3 years' incarceration followed by 5 years' probation, Horton served 18 months of his sentence.
05:11:13 -- PICTURES OF THE WEEK: From 1952, promotional items, instructions for do-it-yourself Captain Video and Space Patrol helmets, the Captain Video board game, poster for Radar Men On The Moon, and a sticker collection for Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. Captain Video (and his Video Rangers) appeared on the DuMont television network five to six times each week between 1949 and 1953, leading off DuMont's primetime lineup. Captain Video's live adventures occupied 20 minutes of each day's 30-minute program time. About 10 minutes into each episode, a Video Ranger communications officer showed about 7 minutes of old cowboy movies. These were described by the communications officer, Ranger Rogers, as the adventures of Captain Video's "undercover agents" on Earth. But even more successful was the ABC television network's broadcast of Space Patrol weekly between 1950 and 1955. An instant phenomenon, an additional daily television broadcast was added to the weekly, and a separate weekly radio version ran parallel to the television series. By 1952, Space Patrol -- which featured the adventures of young and handsome Buzz Corry of the United Planets Space Patrol, his sidekick Cadet Happy, and Corry's often-in-need-of-rescue girlfriend Carol -- drew an audience of seven million followers, both young and old. Space Patrol toys, books, lunch boxes and other paraphernalia drew in a boggling 40 million dollars in 1952 alone. That same year also saw the premiere of a 12-part movie serial -- Radar Men From The Moon -- featuring Commando Cody (not to be confused with Commander Corry). Cody flew not only in space ships, but in a personal rocket-powered flying suit. Also on the scene was Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, which holds the distinction of appearing on all four television networks between 1950 and 1955 (ABC, CBS, NBC, and DuMont -- with appearances on NBC twice, 1951 and 1955). All featured alien villains, usually very human-looking but in various skin colors and costumes.
05:18:13 -- PICTURES OF THE WEEK: Top: From 1952, German-language poster for the 3rd conference of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in Stuttgart, Germany. The bold yellow heading reads "Rocket and Sapce Travel". The main body of the text translates as "Exhibition on the Occasion of the Congress of the International Astronautical Federation from 1-21 Sept 1952 in Stuttgart National Industrial Museum". Middle: Members of the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) at the conference's rocket and space exhibition. The BIS had been instrumental in forming the IAF during a preliminary meeting in Paris, designated the first conference. The second conference had been held in London in 1951. Bottom: attendees from around the world in conclave, 1952.
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