July 16, 2009
Lunar Ballet
an unexpected image from the set of Destination Moon Google archive of Life Magazine
Destination Moon was one of the most effective science fiction movies ever, at least for those of us who saw it when it came out. Considering the general low standard of special effects in the early 1950s, DM had wonderfully craggy lunar sets, glorious soaring rockets, and realistic space suits and reduced gravity. The science was consistent with current understanding due to the influence of advisor Robert Heinlein and set designer Chesley Bonestell. For an 8 year old it was realer than real and probably inspired my fascination with the Moon. Although we are getting ready to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the actual landing on the Moon, I imagine that many of the pilots, engineers and scientists who made that happen were inspired by this nearly 60 year old film. We need to remember to honor it next year.
Chuck Wood
Technical Details
About 200 images taken during the filming of DM have recently been found on the Google archive of Life Magazine images.
Yesterday's LPOD: A Hahnsome View
Tomorrow's LPOD: Procellarum Twins
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