Man Will Conquer Space Soon!

Man Will Conquer Space Soon! was the title of a famous series of 1950s magazine articles in Collier's detailing Wernher von Braun's plans for manned spaceflight. Edited by Cornelius Ryan, the individual articles were authored by such space notables of the time as Willy Ley, Fred Lawrence Whipple, Dr. Joseph Kaplan, Dr. Heinz Haber, and Wernher von Braun. The articles were illustrated with paintings and drawings by Chesley Bonestell, Fred Freeman, and Rolf Klep, some of the finest magazine illustrators of the time.

Legacy

The article series was the basis for three episodes in the Disneyland anthology series: Man in Space, Man and the Moon, and Mars and Beyond. The series was expanded into three books: Across the Space Frontier (1952), Conquest of the Moon (1953) and The Exploration of Mars (1956). Examples of some of the ships they modeled are in the World of Collier's add-ons to the Orbiter space flight simulator.

A fake, alternate history documentary titled Man Conquers Space has been planned for a number of years, depicting the space race as if it had happened as the article predicted. The project has been in development since February 2000, and continues to be developed under the sole effort of its originator David Sander [1]

Article details

The issues and titles of the articles in Collier's were:

March 22, 1952: Man will Conquer Space Soon.

What are we waiting for? p.22-23. The editors.

Crossing the last frontier- p. 24-29, 72, 74. Dr. Wernher von Braun

A station in space- p. 30-31. Willy Ley

The heavens open- p. 32-33. Dr. Fred L. Whipple

This side of infinity- p. 34. Dr. Joseph Kaplan

Can we survive in space? p. 35, 65-67.-Dr. Heinz Haber

Who owns the universe? p. 36, 70-71. -Oscar Schachter

Space quiz around the editors desk. p. 38-39.

October 18, 1952: Man on the Moon.

Man on the Moon. p. 51. The editors.

The journey. p. 52-58, 60. Dr. Wernher von Braun

Inside the moon ship. p. 56. Willy Ley.

October 25, 1952: More about Man on the Moon.

The exploration. p. 38-40, 42, 44-48. Dr. Fred L. Whipple and Dr. Wernher von Braun.

Inside the lunar base. p. 46. Willy Ley.

February 28, 1953: World's First Space Suit.

Man's survival in space. p. 40-41. Cornelius Ryan and the editors.

Picking the men. p. 42-48.

March 7, 1953: More about Man's Survival in Space.

Testing the men. p. 56-63.

March 14, 1953: How Man will Meet Emergency in Space Travel.

Emergency! p. 38-44.

June 27, 1953: The Baby Space Station: First Step in the Conquest of Space.

Baby Space Station. p. 33-35, 38, 40. Dr. Wernher von Braun with Cornelius Ryan.

April 30, 1954: Can We Get to Mars? / Is There Life on Mars?

Is there life on Mars? p. 21. Dr. Fred L. Whipple

Can we get to Mars? p. 22-29. Dr. Wernher von Braun with Cornelius Ryan.

External links

• Collier's Conquest of Space (Italian language)