Man in Space

"Man in Space" is an episode of Disneyland which originally aired on March 9, 1955. It was directed by Disney animator Ward Kimball. Later, it was edited into a featurette to play in theaters, accompanying Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. This Disneyland episode (set in Tomorrowland), was narrated partly by Kimball and also by such famed scientists as Dr. Willy Ley, Dr. Heinz Haber, Dr. Wernher von Braun and Dick Tufeld of Lost in Space fame. The show talks briefly about the lighthearted history of rockets and is followed by discussions of satellites, a practical look (through humorous animation) at what spacemen will have to face in a rocket (both physically and psychologically, such as momentum, weightlessness, radiation, even space sickness) and a rocket takeoff into space.

An adaptation of the episode was published (under the title "Walt Disney's Man in Space: A Science Feature from Tomorrowland") by Dell as Four Color #716 in 1956, scripted by Don R. Christensen with art by Tony Sgroi. It was actually a "novelization" in comic book form of two Walt Disney television programs, "Man in Space" (1955) and "Tomorrow the Moon" (1955). Also found as a 1956 UK reprint as "A World Distributors Movie Classic" (#45) and a 1959 combined reprint with the other 2 Dell Comics adaptations of "Man in Space" films as "Walt Disney's Man in Space" (Dell Comics Giant #27).

It was also made into a "Tomorrowland adventure" book for classroom use in 1959 as Man in Space: A Tomorrowland Adventure. Walt Disney Productions. Adapted for school use by Ley, Willy. Illustrated by Carbe, Nino. Syracuse, NY: LW Singer Co. Inc. (48 p.) 21 cm. Softcover.

It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. It was released on DVD in 2004 as part of the Walt Disney Treasures line. The next episodes in this series were "Man and the Moon" and "Mars and Beyond."

Educational use
Part of this episode was excerpted and released in 1964 as All About Weightlessness.