The Satellite

Planning started for the Vanguard program in 1955. Both the launch vehicle and the satellite were to be named Vanguard, the only time that has happened in the U.S. space program. There were several "marks" of the satellite varying in size from 20 inches down to 6 inches in diameter with varying instrumentation on board and the first was slated to go up during the International Geophysical Year of 1958. The Martin Company developed the rocket and the Naval Research Laboratory developed the satellite.

Introduction

"…roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need any roads…"

-Emmitt "Doc" Brown

The "Back to the Future” (BTTF) movie franchise began in 1985 with the release of the first movie. The film series featured the adventures of Marty McFly as he traveled back and forth in time in a Time Machine built by wacky scientist Emmitt “Doc” Brown. Brown had built that first plutonium-powered Time Machine creation from a vintage DeLorean sports car. At the end of the first movie, just when you thought the timeline had been restored and all was well, Doc Brown pops out of a worm hole in a newly modified, flying Time Machine, digs through the trash to find vegetable remains and banana peels to fuel the new ‘Mr. Fusion’ power cell and tells Marty that the timeline of the future has been disturbed and that “…something has to be done about your kids!”

I will not hide the fact I enjoy watching Japanese anime and the original “Last Exile” anime is one of my favorites. (No kidding). It represents a wonderful fusion of Sci-fi and the golden age of flight. The show centers around the orphaned brother & sister pair of Lavie Head and Claus Valcaat and their fathers old Vanship. Claus and Lavie work as commercial pilots who deliver messages, cargo and whatnot up until they are dragged into a war. The series is available to watch for free on Hulu.com and can be viewed in either the original Japanese (with subtitles) or it is also available dubbed in English.

Background

As featured in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Federation starship USS Reliant was the vessel commandeered by the despotic Khan Noonien Singh, a late 20th century superhuman product of genetic engineering. Khan first appeared in an episode of the original Star Trek TV series, “Space Seed,” where he and his crew were discovered in cryogenic stasis while drifting through space aboard the SS Botany Bay. Revived by USS Enterprise’s crew, Khan and his followers were permanently exiled on a remote planet by Captain James T. Kirk after a failed attempt to seize Enterprise.

History Brief

The Adventures of Jonny Quest was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Screen Gems. An animated television series, it ran on ABC in prime time on Friday nights for one season from 1964 to 1965. A true original for the 1960s, it was created and designed by comic-book artist Doug Wildey and was inspired by American radio serials, American action-adventure comics and American science fiction genre. Ground breaking for it’s time it featured unmatched realistic art, interesting characters, and a better story line than any previous cartoon seen on television.

The Quest Labs Supersonic Suborbital Aircraft known as The Dragonfly is the iconic Jonny Quest aircraft featured in the episode introductions. It was also featured in some of the best episodes.