Man Conquers Space
What if?
I always love those words as a premise for a good story.
Several years ago I discovered a website for a mockumentary called Man Conquers Space. The premise is, “What if the U.S. space program began years earlier and was based on the artwork of Chesley Bonestell, who inspired the actual space program.” If you’re a fan of science fiction then you’ve definitely seen paintings by Bonestell, whose designs set the look of sci-fi films and book covers for years to come. Ellie reader Neutrino reminded me to credit Colliers Magazine, which did a series of articles in the early 1950s that were the inspiration for the film, and featured art by Bonestell, as well as Fred Freeman and Rolf Klep.*
The creators of the mockumentary depict a space race based on their paintings and ideas. And it looks amazing. Or I imagine it would if it had been finished. As it stands, the film seems to have fizzled out quite some time ago (due to the loss of much of the footage on failed hard drives**). But what there is to be seen promises something spectacular, even if it’s never to be, just like the film’s premise. There are a couple of trailers for the film available for viewing, production stills, and a sample of the soundtrack. Go have a look!
*Edited to add this info.
**And this info.
Space conquers man is not news; Man conquers space is news
Tell me about it! I keep running out of space and can’t ever seem to reclaim enough.
(Sorry XD )
You should credit Colliers — or at least mention Fred Freeman and Rolf Klep, as well as Bonestell.
I remember this project. $100 up-front guaranteed you a copy when the movie was finally completed. They they said they lost most of the completed footage to a hard-drive failure, promised to start again, but it gradually petered out.
Try reading Allen Steele or (especially) Stephen Baxter for scenarios which “might have been.”
Neutrino, you’re quite right. I’ll add those credits to the posting. And now that you mention it, I seem to remember the story of the hard drive failure. I’ll check out Steele and Baxter too. Thanks!
The “series of articles” hotlink just puts my PC into a loop, making clicking noises and repeatedly attempting contact.
I recommend a look at http://www.zianet.com/sundayt/gallery.htm where someone has turned the Bonestell/vonBraun designs into stunning 3D artwork.
For Steele, see the paragraph in http://web.mit.edu/m-i-t/science_fiction/profiles/steele.html beginning “Goddard’s People”.
Several of Baxter’s novels, like “Voyage” are might-have-beens. You can read his short “Moon Six”, for free, at http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/moon6.htm
It pays homage to several SF writers; Alpha and Beta, for example, were creations of Arthur C Clarke.
Thanks for the Steele and Baxter links, Neutrino! (Concerning the “series of articles” link) Hmmm…strange – it’s working okay for me, but I’m using a Mac. I’m just going to let it go since the post is off the front page, but thanks for pointing that out.
OMG! Just watched MAN CONQUERS SPACE TEASER III (2007) and almost broke into tears! This was the Space Race we should have had!!!! I grew up with Bonestell, Von Braun, Freeman, Willy Ley, et al and dreamed of exploring space like this! The trailer itself is a masterpiece!! Thank you so much for the links!