1958 Key Map of Outer Space
DESCRIPTION
This vivid Key Map of Outer Space was published by This Week Magazine as a Sunday newspaper supplement during the late 1950s, when the excitement of the Space Race was just beginning to capture the public imagination. The work offers an extraordinary fusion of science, education, and design; a work that made the complexity of space accessible to newspaper readers across the United States.
Charting and Understanding Our Solar System
Rendered in deep shades of black and blue with luminous planetary orbits, the map presents a sweeping visualization of the solar system from the inner planets to the farthest reaches of Pluto and the stars beyond. Each orbit is carefully traced, showing the Sun as the radiant center of a vast and orderly universe. Insets along the left margin describe the “Steps to Outer Space,” illustrating early theories of orbital flight and the stages required to escape Earth’s gravity, while a scale chart compares the size of the planets to the Sun, emphasizing both the enormity and precision of the cosmos. Accompanying text in the lower corner explains that the map was designed under the guidance of astronomers at the Hayden Planetarium, using the most up-to-date astronomical data available.
Artistic Impressions of Distant Worlds
Above the main diagram, a series of striking paintings brings the imagination of space to life. Scenes such as “The Sun from Mercury,” “The Earth from the Moon,” and “The Rings of Saturn” depict extraterrestrial landscapes in vivid color, merging scientific curiosity with the drama of mid-century illustration. Each image evokes the mystery and majesty of planetary exploration, presenting outer space as both an artistic frontier and a realm of scientific discovery. On the right, a rocket soars toward orbit, its orange exhaust cutting through the darkness, a symbolic gesture to the Mercury and Gemini missions that were just entering public consciousness.
At the bottom of the map, an inset titled Expedition to Mars captures the speculative wonder that defined popular science in the late 1950s. Three sleek, finned spacecraft streak toward the red planet, their streamlined forms straight out of a science fiction film rather than real aerospace engineering. The scene encapsulates the optimism and imagination of the era, when popular media blurred the line between fact and fantasy, and the idea of interplanetary travel seemed both imminent and limitless.
CONDITION
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