# List of fictional astronauts (early period)

Lists of fictional astronauts :
| Early period | Project Mercury | Project Gemini |
| Project Apollo | 1975–1989 | 1990–1999 |
| 2000–2009 | 2010–2029 | Moon |
| Inner Solar System | Outer Solar System | Other |
| Far future |||
The following is a list of fictional astronauts as imagined before the Space Age. The astronauts on this list appear in stories released prior to or shortly after the inception of Project Mercury in 1958.

## Early period

| Name(s) | Appeared in | Program / Mission / Spacecraft | Fictional date |
| Wan Hu | Scientific American (1909) | N/A | 2000 BC |
| Wan Hu was a legendary Chinese official who was said to have become the first astronaut by reaching space using a chair affixed with several dozen rockets. The earliest known version of the story comes from a 1909 edition of Scientific American, which names the official as "Wang Tu" and dates his voyage to "about 2,000 years B.C.", more than 3,000 years before the invention of gunpowder rockets in China. A more popular version of the tale widely disseminated by Herbert Zim in 1945 dates Wan Hu's flight to the less anachronistic time of the sixteenth century. |||
| Georg Manfeldt, Prof. Walter Turner Wolf Helius (Engineer) Friede Velten (Student Astronomer) Hans Windegger (Engineer) | Woman in the Moon (1929), silent film | Friede | Contemporary? |
| First film depiction of a Moon rocket and of a countdown. Checkerboard design and Frau-im-Mond logo later to appear on A4 rockets. |||
| Selenite: Roger Colt Phil Gershom Edmond Beverly Holdane expedition: Holdane (leader) (no first name given) Unnamed crewmembers | "Master of the Asteroid" (1932), short story | Selenite Holdane expedition | 1980 2010 |
| Colt, Gershom and Beverly, three of the fifteen scientists at the Syrtis Major rocket base on Mars, steal the Selenite in an attempt to reach Jupiter when they begin to find Mars too crowded. Thirty years later, the Holdane expedition finds the wreckage of the Selenite on the asteroid Phocea. |||
| Harrison (US) (Captain/Astronomer) Dick Jarvis (US) (Chemist) Pierre Leroy (France) (Biologist) Karl Putz (Germany) (Engineer) | "A Martian Odyssey" (1934), "Valley of Dreams" (1934), short stories | Ares | 21st century |
| First men on Mars; landing site in Mare Cimmerium. Cardoza made first voyage to Moon ten years earlier; "de Lancey flight" to Venus was unsuccessful. |||
| Gloria Mundi: Dale Curtance (Commander/Pilot) Geoffrey Dugan (Assistant Pilot/Navigator) James Burns (Engineer) Froud (Journalist) (no first name given) "Doc" Grayson, Dr. (Physician/Biologist) (no first name given) Joan Shirning (Stowaway) Tovaritch: Karaminoff, Commissar (Commander) (no first name given) Vasiloff (no first name given) Six unnamed crewmembers US spacecraft: Unnamed crewmembers | Planet Plane (a.k.a. Stowaway to Mars, The Space Machine) (1935), novel | Gloria Mundi (UK) Tovaritch (Soviet Union) Unnamed spacecraft (Keuntz company, US) | March 9, 1981 – October 1982 |
| Space travelers compete for "Keuntz Prize" for first successful interplanetary journey. Duncan, K. K. Smith and Sudden were first to reach the Moon but crashed fatally on lunar surface. Richard Drivers flew around the Moon and returned to Earth in 1969, but later died with unnamed crewmate in attempt to reach Venus. Jornsen crashed in Pacific Ocean; Simpson piloted Keuntz company rocket which exploded near Chicago with great loss of life on the ground. Launch of Gloria Mundi from Salisbury Plain on October 12, 1981; landing south of Martian equator; return to Earth in North Africa on April 7, 1982. Gloria II later disappeared with Curtance, Froud and unnamed crewmates while attempting to reach Venus. |||
| Pavel Ivanovich Sedikh, Prof. (Scientist) Marina, Prof. (Assistant) | Cosmic Voyage (a.k.a. Cosmic Journey, The Space Ship, The Space Voyage) (1936), film | Soviet Union | 1946 |
| Scientist and assistant are joined by young stowaway on first voyage to Moon. |||
| Burns, Prof. (no first name given) Lee Baron (Balloonist) | "Once Around the Moon" (1937), short story | N/A | Contemporary |
| Professor and balloonist are launched by space gun to circumnavigate the Moon. |||
| Unnamed (President/Secretary/Treasurer) Ivan Schnitzel (Photographer) Isaac Guzzbaum (Auditor) Eric Wobblewit (Humourist) Two unnamed crewmembers | "How We Went to Mars" (1938), short story | Snoring-in-the-Hay Rocket Society (UK): Pride of the Galaxy | April 1952 |
| Amateur crew of first manned spaceflight accidentally reach Mars. Landing near Solis Lacus. |||
| Luna Spaceport: DeWitt, Maj. (Commander) (no first name given) John Tallentyre, Maj. (Second-in-command) Noel Crispin (File clerk) Ernie Moessner (Mechanic) Ship Number Six: Waddell (Spacehand, first-class, acting skipper) (no first name given) Unnamed crewmember Ship Number Forty-Two: O'Hara (Spacehand) (no first name given) Unnamed crewmembers Ship Number Forty-Five: Dague (Engineer) (no first name given) Ethel (Stowaway) (no last name given) Unnamed crewmembers Ship Number Sixty-One: Sturgis Riser, Capt. (Skipper) Joe Moessner Three unnamed crewmembers World League Police: Baynes, Inspector Dunlap, Constable (no first names given) Mars base: Grayson (Commander) Hudson (no first names given) | "Men Against the Stars" (1938), short story | World League Rocket Service: Luna Spaceport Ships Number One to Sixty-One Mars base | 1998 |
| Rockets to Mars repeatedly explode due to unstable atomic hydrogen fuel developed by scientist Joseph Moessner. Moessner's younger brother was killed in 1961 trying to reach the Moon; Luna Port was built in 1996, with launches to Mars commencing in 1997. Only four of first fifty-six ships landed safely on Mars. Joe Moessner replaces Riser as skipper of Number Sixty-One. |||
| Matsugawa Venus Crystal Company: Wesley P. Miller (Superintendent, Group A) Koenig Kenton J. Stanfield (US) (Operative A-49) Frederick N. Dwight (Operative B-9) Anderson Markheim Bailey Unnamed personnel | "In the Walls of Eryx" (1939), short story | Venus Crystal Company: Terra Nova (post) Scouting Plane FR-58 Repair Plane PG-7 | Future (from March 18) |
| Crystal prospectors on Venus, 72 years after humans first reached that planet. Matsugawa mapped Venus from the air 50 years earlier. |||
| Farley (last name not given) | "The Rocket of 1955" (1939), short short story | Unknown | 1955 |
| Mars-bound astronaut, who discovers too late that his spacecraft is the product of a gigantic confidence trick; killed when it explodes during liftoff. |||
| John Harman | "Trends" (1939), short story | Prometheus New Prometheus | July 14, 1973 – April 1978 |
| Harman makes the first circumnavigation of the Moon in the face of intense religious and governmental opposition. |||
| James "Mac" McIntyre, Capt. (Pilot) Charles Cummings (Engineer) Delos David "D. D." Harriman (Passenger) | "Requiem" (1940), short story | Lunatic | c. 1980s/1990s |
| The elderly Harriman, the man whose company made space travel possible, makes one last attempt to fulfill his lifelong dream of traveling to the Moon. Part of Robert Heinlein's "Future History" series. Adapted into 1955 X Minus One episode. |||
| Erik Vane Michael (no last name given) Lida (no last name given) | "Space Episode" (1941), short story | Ares | Future |
| Attempt to reach Mars is aborted by meteor impact. |||
| Chamberlain, Dr. (Atomic scientist) Russell, Maj. (US Army) Reynolds, Maj. (Communications) | Arch Oboler's Plays Rocket from Manhattan (1945), radio play | XR-1 | September 20, 2000 |
| Crew returning from first manned moon expedition witnesses atomic war break out on Earth. Chamberlain is a former Manhattan Project scientist. Adapted into 1956 play Night of the Auk (q.v.). |||
| R. S. Goshawk: Hicks (Captain) "Noisy" Rhysling (Jetman, Second Class) Unnamed personnel Falcon: Unnamed captain Unnamed Master-at-Arms Archie Macdougal (Chief Jetman) Unnamed personnel | "The Green Hills of Earth" (1947), short story | Harriman Company/Trust (Hawk-class): R. S. Goshawk Falcon (passenger vessel) | c. 1980s – 2000s |
| After losing his sight in shipboard accident, Rhysling becomes the "Blind Singer of the Spaceways". Part of Heinlein's "Future History" series. Adapted into 1950 Dimension X episode, featuring additional Goshawk crewmen named Mike Hertzmann (a wiper, later Chief Jetman on the Falcon) and "Jimmy Legs" Casey (the bosun), and into 1955 X Minus One episode. |||
| David (no last name given) | "Inheritance" (1947), short story | A.15 A.20 (David/Goliath) A.21 | Near Future |
| Welsh test pilot on suborbital rocket flights from Atlas Mountains in Africa. |||
| Galileo: Donald Morris "Doc" Cargraves, Sc.D. (Captain) Maurice "Morrie" Abrams (Second-in-command/co-pilot) Ross Jenkins (Flight engineer) Arthur Mueller (Medical officer/radar/radio) Wotan/Moonbase: Helmut von Hartwick, Lt. Col. ("Elite Guard") (Executive Officer) Unnamed lieutenant (Utility rocket commander) Friedrich Lenz (Sergeant-Technician, 2nd Class) (Utility rocket pilot) 49 unnamed crewmembers | Rocket Ship Galileo (1947), novel | Galileo "New Reich": Wotan (later renamed City of Detroit) Thor Utility rocket Moonbase | Near Future |
| Scientist Cargraves and his teenaged crew discover Nazi moonbase west of Oceanus Procellarum. |||
| Hicks (Pilot) Supra-New York: Shorty Weinstein (Computer) Unnamed psychiatrist Flying Dutchman: Kelly (Captain) Jake Pemberton (First Pilot) Unnamed personnel Space Terminal: Soames (Commodore-Pilot) Gremlin: Jake Pemberton (Pilot) | "Space Jockey" (1947), short story | Trans-Lunar Transit: Supra-New York (Satellite station) Space Terminal (Moon orbiting station) Earth-to-Moon spacecraft: Flying Dutchman (Flight 27) Philip Nolan Winged rockets: Skysprite Firefly Moon landing rockets: Gremlin Moonbat | c. 1980s |
| While piloting passengers and freight to Moon, Pemberton is distracted by marital troubles and an unruly child passenger. Part of Heinlein's "Future History" series. |||
| Sam Houston Adams Thomas Dooley Maurice Feinstein Hazel Hayakawa Kurt Schaeffer G. Washington Slappey | "The Black Pits of Luna" (1948), short story | Unknown | August 11, 1984 / c. 2000 |
| In backstory, scientists are killed in 1984 explosion of atomic lab on lunar farside near Rutherford. Part of Heinlein's "Future History" series. |||
| Rocket number seventeen (Russia): Mikichenko (no first name given) Rocket number nineteen (US): George Vincent Quinn Rocket number twenty (US): John J. Armstrong | Dreadful Sanctuary (1948), serial; (1951), novel | Unknown (Russia, United States) | 1972 |
| Pilot Quinn and inventor Armstrong commandeer Moon-rockets to prevent third world war. Quinn makes first manned Moon landing in Copernicus. Significantly revised for 1963 paperback edition. |||
| Unnamed captain William Cole (a.k.a. William Saunders) (Chief Communications Officer/Relief pilot) Tom Sandburg (Junior communications officer) | "Ordeal in Space" (1948), short story | Valkyrie | c. 2000 |
| Traumatized by spacewalk accident during passenger run to Mars, Cole becomes acrophobic and changes his name in an attempt to start a new life on Earth. Part of Heinlein's "Future History" series. |||
| Wilson Louis Garnett | "The Sentinel" (1948), short story | Unknown | 1996 |
| Explorers who discover something remarkable on the shores of the Sea of Crises. |||
| Unnamed crewman | "Cold War" (1949), short story | United States: Space Stations | Near Future |
| With the United States operating nine atomic-armed Space Stations to enforce world peace, the U.S. President visits a former Space Station crewman in a holding cell, one of five who became criminally insane after returning home on leave. |||
| Space Station One: "Tiny" Larsen (Superintendent) "Dad" Witherspoon (Assistant superintendent) Gloria Brooks "Brooksie" McNye (Chief Communications Engineer) Robert Dalrymple (Chief Inspector) Hammond (Radioman) Jimmie (Timekeeper) (no last name given) McAndrews (Shipfitter) O'Connor (Metalsmith) Peters (Radioman) Unnamed personnel R. S. Half Moon: Don Shields (Captain) | "Delilah and the Space-Rigger" (1949), short story | Harriman Enterprises (owner)/Five Companies, Incorporated (contractor): Space Station One R. S. Half Moon (supply ship) Pole Star (supply ship) | c. 1980s |
| Construction crew of first space station is surprised by arrival of female communications engineer. Part of Heinlein's "Future History" series. |||
| Destiny I: Korby (no first name given) Sweeny (no first name given) Destiny II: Korby Sweeny Anthony Marinetta Johnny Pritchard (Air Corps) | "Flaw" (1949), short story | Destiny I Destiny II Destiny III | 1959 – 1964 |
| "Atomic drive" is perfected in 1960. Destiny I makes first circumnavigation of Moon c. 1960; Destiny II launches from Arizona rocket station in February for 14-month Mars flyby mission. |||
| Unnamed captain Applegate Barkley Hollis Lespere Smith Stimson Stone Turner Underwood Woode Unnamed crewman | "Kaleidoscope" (1949), short story | Rocket Company | Future |
| Crew hurled apart into space when rocket explodes. |||
| Moon Base: Unnamed Commodore (Commanding Officer) Towers, Col. (Executive Officer) Morgan, Maj. (Senior Bomb Officer) John Ezra Dahlquist, Lt. (Ph.D.) (Junior Bomb Officer) Kelly Smitty (Marine) (Lockmaster) Lopez (Guard) Unnamed personnel | "The Long Watch" (a.k.a. "Rebellion on the Moon") (1949), short story | The Patrol: Moon Base United Nations?: Trygve Lie Lafayette | June 1999 |
| Dahlquist sacrifices himself to prevent world coup d'état by Towers. Part of Heinlein's "Future History" series. |||
| Mel Robbins, Col. | "Operation Pumice" (1949), short story | Moon Rocket One (MR-1) | 1959 |
| Pilot of first crewed circumlunar mission aboard five-stage rocket launched from New Mexico. |||
| David Mannen | "Over the Top" (1949), short story | United Technical Foundation (Unitech) | Near Future (April or May) |
| Three-foot-tall little person is first human on Mars. |||
| Daniel MacGregor Dare, Col. Albert Fitzwilliam Digby | Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future (1950–1967), comic | Anastasia | 1996+ |
| Astronaut in Earth's Interplanetary Spacefleet; travelled to Venus, Mercury, Saturn. |||
| Jim Barnes (Pilot) Charles "Doc" Cargraves, Dr. (Propulsion Expert) Thayer, Gen. (Co-Pilot) Joe Sweeney (Radio Operator) | Destination Moon (a.k.a. Journey to the Moon, Operation Moon) (1950), film | Luna | Near Future (June) |
| Astronauts on a nuclear rocket to the Moon. Landing in crater Harpalus. |||
| Lewis Thorson (Captain) "Smitty" Smithson, Dr. (Physician/Morale Officer) Hollison, Lt. Sparks (Communications) Carpenter Robinson Haley Richardson (Gunnery) Unnamed crew members | Dimension X No Contact (1950), radio play | Starcloud | June 2, 1987 |
| Sixth crew attempting to breach "Great Galactic Barrier" and reach planet Volta. Commander Collier, a navigation officer, and men named Prentiss and Margitson were lost on previous missions. |||
| Cornelius Otterbyrne, Prof. (Atomic physicist) Paul Aarons, Dr. (Astromathematician) Robert Simons (Electronic engineer) Carl Parker (Mining specialist) Watson Gibbs Henry Timkin (Federal Bureau of Missing Persons) Jefferson Philo (Science journalist) | Dimension X The Man in the Moon (1950), radio play | Unknown | 1950 |
| "Federal Bureau of Missing Persons" receives radio message from the Moon, leading to discovery of moonbase built in 1938 by "renegade scientists and criminals" on lunar farside. Otterbyrne and others were kidnapped as slave labor for colony. |||
| R-46: Raymond F. Carmody, Capt. (U.S.S.F.) Russia: Anna Borisovna Carmody | "Honeymoon in Hell" (1950), short story | United States Space Service: R-46 rocket Russia: Unnamed rocket | September 16, 1962 – February 1963 |
| American and Russian pilots marry and travel to Moon in attempt to escape unknown effect preventing conception of male humans on Earth. Landings in Hell crater. Carmody previously landed R-24 rocket on the Moon, one of eighteen American pilots to attempt the round trip and only five to return alive. Adapted into 1956 X Minus One episode. |||
| Power satellite: Unnamed personnel Charon: Unnamed pilot Leslie LeCroix, Capt. (Relief pilot) Pioneer: Les LeCroix, Capt. Mayflower: Les LeCroix, Capt. (Pilot) Bob Coster (Engineer) Janet (Scientist) (no last name given) Three unnamed scientists | The Man Who Sold the Moon (1950), novella | Power satellite Charon (shuttle rocket) Harriman and Strong: Pioneer Mayflower Colonial | c. 1978 |
| Commercially funded initial Moon expeditions. LeCroix makes first Moon landing in Pioneer west of Archimedes; Mayflower establishes first Moon colony. Part of Heinlein's "Future History" series. |||
| Floyd Graham, Col. (Pilot) Harry Chamberlain (Navigator/Astronomer) William Corrigan, Maj. (Engineer) Karl Eckstrom, Dr. Lisa Van Horn, Dr. (Chemist) | Rocketship X-M (1950), film | X-M ("eXpedition Moon") | Near Future |
| Astronauts on a Moon rocket that "accidentally" lands on Mars. |||
| Robert Maynard | "Unwelcome Tenant" (1950), short story | Unknown (Scientific foundation) | Future |
| First man to travel to Mars realizes that all humans on Earth are the hosts of parasitic intelligences. |||
| Jim Barker, Dr. (Commander/Engineer) Steve Abbott (Journalist) William Jackson, Prof. (Scientist) Lane, Dr. (Physicist) Carol Stafford (Physicist) | Flight to Mars (1951), film | The Pentagon: Rocketship M.A.R.S. | c. 2001 |
| First crewed Mars mission encounters dying Martian civilization. |||
| Crandall (Captain) Killian (Executive Officer) Wilbur Lavinia Pickerell Haggerty (Navigator) | Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars (1951), novel | Unknown | Contemporary/Near Future |
| Secret expedition to Mars. Haggerty is accidentally left behind on Earth due to Miss Pickerell unexpectedly boarding rocket. |||
| Roger Wilson, Capt. (US) Garner Lunar Expedition: James Harwood Garner, Dr. (Leader/Engineer/Astrophysicist) Thomas Ridgely Duncan, Ph.D. (Physicist/Second-in-command) Eustace M. Hughey, Dr. (Surgeon) Robert Kenneth Moore, Dr. (Chemist) Warren P. Tolman, Dr. (Chemist) Arthur W. Kendall (Photographer) David H. King (Mineralogist) Hampden S. Reed (Mineralogist) Anthony T. Melville (Astrophysicist) Carl Jewell Long (Astronomer/Navigator) George W. Rice (Electrician/Mechanic) Joseph T. Whisler (Cook/Mechanic) Frederick L. Bender (Mechanic) Morrison Wilcott (no first names given for last two) Relief ship: Two unnamed pilots | The Moon Is Hell (1951), novelette | United States Garner Lunar Expedition: Rocket Fort Washington (moonbase) Relief ship | June 15, 1979 – 1981 |
| Garner Lunar Expedition spends 23 months near the center of the far side of the Moon before becoming stranded when their relief ship crashes on arrival. In 1974, Wilson orbited the Moon twice and landed on the near side for two days. Garner Expedition launches from Inyokern, California, on June 10, 1979; relief ship launches from Mojave, California, around May 10, 1981. |||
| Henderson (no first name given) | "Old Man Henderson" (1951, revised 1970), short story | Unknown | Future (21st century?) |
| Now an old man, Henderson reminisces about being the first man on the Moon. |||
| Lewis Taine (US) Pierre Leduc (France) James Richards (UK) Victor Hassell (UK) Arnold Clinton (Australia) | Prelude to Space (a.k.a. Master of Space, The Space Dreamers) (1951), novel | Prometheus Alpha/Beta | 1978 |
| Candidates for the first manned mission to the moon. |||
| First group: Joel "Chap" Chapman (Pilot/Mechanic) Dixon Driesbach Unnamed group members Second group: Bening (Astronomer) Joel "Chap" Chapman Robert Dahl (Mathematician) Dick Donley (Geologist) Dowden (Astronomer) Julius Klein (Botanist) Third group: Joel "Chap" Chapman Williams Unnamed group members Eberlein (Relief ship captain) | "The Reluctant Heroes" (1951), short story | The Commission: Research bunker Relief ship | Future |
| Members of research groups at outpost on Moon (possibly in Tycho). |||
| Unnamed rocket pilot | "The Rocket Man" (1951), short story | Unknown | Early 21st century (August) |
| Pilot visits his wife and 14-year-old son between trips to space. |||
| Wayne Crowder | "Vital Factor" (1951), short story Tales of Tomorrow Test Flight (1951), TV | Wayne Crowder Enterprises | Near Future |
| Spacecraft on privately financed test flight is redirected to Mars. |||
| Robert Jaffe (Captain) John Crawford, Dr. (Ship's Doctor) Jensen (Chief Hospitalman) (no first name given) Scotty McIntire (Navigation) Donald Shaver (Navigation) Roger Wescott (Navigation) "Boats" (Boatswain) Unnamed ship's barber 73 unnamed crewmembers | "Counterfeit" (aka "The Counterfeit Man") (1952), novelet | Exploratory Command | Future |
| Crew of exploratory vessel returning to Los Alamos Spaceport from Venus (Ganymede in later editions) with shapeshifting alien imposter aboard. Adapted into 1965 Out of the Unknown episode. |||
| Denby (no first name given) | "The Dreamer" (1952), short story | N/A | Near Future |
| Trainee astronaut Denby discovers that space travel is not what he had expected. |||
| Space station officers: Benson Baker Colin Ord Lioness: Marilyn Lynn, Dr. (Physician) Fifty unnamed crewmembers | "Hallucination Orbit" (aka "The Bliss of Solitude") (1952), short story | Station Two Four Star Lines: Lioness (relief ship) | Future |
| Lone officers manning space station in Pluto's orbit are afflicted by "solitosis". Adapted into 1956 X Minus One episode. |||
| Mercury expedition: R. Doyle Borrell (Navigator) Glynne (Radio Operator) (no first names given) Unnamed crewmembers Inner Station: R. Doyle, Cmdr. (Training) Apprentices: Tim Benton (Senior apprentice) Ronnie Jordan Norman Powell Karl Hasse Peter van Holberg Five unnamed apprentices Unnamed crewmembers Space Hospital: Hawkins, Dr. (no first name given) (Biologist) Unnamed scientist Unnamed crewmembers Sirius: Jones, Capt. (Pilot) (no first name given) Inter-orbit ferry: Unnamed pilots | Islands in the Sky (1952), novel | Mercury expedition Space stations: Inner Station (Space Station One/Residential Station) Space Hospital Relay Station Two Spacecraft: Sirius Morning Star The Skylark of Space (ferry) Inter-orbit ferry Earth ferry (spaceplane) | Late 21st century |
| 16-year-old Roy Malcolm wins trip to Inner Station on television quiz. Doyle took part in first expedition to Mercury years earlier; Morning Star made first circumnavigation of Venus in 1985. |||
| Jeff Foldingchair Eros: Miles Vance, Capt. Nat Rothman (Pilot/Geologist) Richard Steele (Engineer) Paul Sokolsky, Dr. (Physician/Biologist) Lewis "Lew" Wong (Radar Operator) Ginger Parsons (Cook/Photographer) Charles Svensen | Marooned on Mars (1952), novel | United States / Space Commission (under United Nations charter): Eros | Future |
| First manned Mars mission, launched from Moon base. 18-year-old Svensen stows away after being replaced on crew by Wong due to his age. Foldingchair is a long-time rocket pilot who stowed away on the second manned Moon mission 25 years earlier. |||
| Connors (Captain) Barton (Tube chief) Griffith Purdy Withington (Fuel man) (no first names given) | "The Missing Symbol" (1952), short story | Rachel II | Future |
| Crew of first manned Moon mission is affected by space madness. |||
| Burney, Dr. (Commander) Emil Wohl (Head geologist/Second-in-command) "M.D." McLeod (Physician) Sherman, Dr. (Chief astronomer) Louise Hansen (Astronomer) Bucky O'Neil (Rocket pilot) Johnny Pierce (Map section) Mike Ramirez (Radio operator) Joey Friedman (Radio operator) Jean (Nurse) (no last name given) Edna (no last name given) 36 unnamed personnel Tractor Two: Paul E. Hansen (Spare photographer/Tractor driver) Fernandez (Geologist) Groswald (Mechanic) Van Ness (Astronomer) | Moonwalk (1952), novelette | Moonbase Tractor One Tractor Two Rocket | Future |
| On excursion from first major moonbase (in Archimedes crater), Tractor Two plummets over ringwall of crater Plato, leaving Hansen to find his way back to base alone. |||
| ZQX-1: Frederick Stone, Capt. Halley: Fred Stone, Col. Einstein: Fred Stone, Col. (Commander) Bill Parks | Space Cat (1952), Space Cat Visits Venus (1955), Space Cat Meets Mars (1957), Space Cat and the Kittens (1958), chapter books | United States Air Force: ZQX-1 Halley Einstein | Near Future |
| Cat named Flyball accompanies Stone on suborbital flight and first manned Moon flight in ZQX-1, journey to Venus and Mars in Halley, and flight to Alpha Centauri aboard hyperdrive-powered Einstein. |||
| Robert Malcolm (Captain) Bart (Scientist) Jack | Tales of Tomorrow Appointment on Mars (1952), TV | Standard Motors (sponsor) | Future |
| Three men on first expedition to Mars turn on each other. |||
| Paula Martin Bennett | Tales of Tomorrow Flight Overdue (1952), TV | Unknown | Near Future |
| Ambitious aviatrix joins Moon mission. |||
| Allen Rice, Maj. | "Thanasphere" (1952), short story | United States Air Force Project Cyclops | Contemporary |
| First man in outer space discovers that it is inhabited by ghosts. |||
| Rayen, Gen. (Commanding Officer) Nichols, Col. (Commanding Officer) Wall, Capt. Weiler, Maj. Unnamed personnel Rocket Four (Squad Fourteen): Breck Jergen, Sgt./M.P. (Squad leader) Jim Clymer Frank Haddon, Sgt. Lassen (no first name given) Walter Millis Joe Valinez Unnamed personnel | "What's It Like Out There?" (1952), novelet | United Nations Expedition Two: Rockets One – Twenty | 1960s (June) |
| On his return to Earth, Haddon finds himself unable to tell people of the true horrors of Mars expedition. |||
| Hal Barlow (D-716) | "By Earthlight" (1953), short story | The Brotherhood | Near Future |
| Member of secret society placed aboard uncrewed US moon rocket to delay atomic war. Landing in Albategnius. |||
| Laird Grainger (Commander) Kip Reissner, Lt. (USN) (Co-Pilot) Helen Salinger (Navigator) Douglas Smith (Radio Operator) Walter Walters (Engineer) | Cat-Women of the Moon (a.k.a. Rocket to the Moon) (1953), film | Atomic Rocket Group 4: Moon Rocket 4 | Near Future |
| First crewed Moon mission encounters female lunar inhabitants. |||
| Brown Cellini DFC-3: Garrard (no first names given) | "Common Time" (1953), short story | The Project: DFC-3 (starship) | Future |
| After first two pilots to attempt to reach Alpha Centauri system fail to return, Garrard experiences severe time variations and a mysterious alien encounter on the third attempt. |||
| Andrew "Jet" Morgan, Captain Lemuel Barnet Stephen Mitchell "Doc" Matthews | Journey into Space (1953–5), radio | Operation Luna | 1965+ |
| British Commonwealth astronauts on a trip to the Moon and beyond. |||
| Martin Dearborn, Capt. George Beebe Unnamed colonists | Missing Men of Saturn (1953), novel | Unknown | Future |
| Dearborn and his colonists, the first humans to reach the Saturn system, are captured on Titan by Saturnians, resulting in their descendants spending the next hundred years on Saturn. |||
| Robert Cox | "Nightmare Brother" (1953), short story | Unknown | Future |
| After the first starships return to Earth with their crews driven mad by their experiences, Cox undergoes rigorous training to follow them. |||
| Greene, Gen. Magellan: "Bright Eyes" Briteis, Col. (Commander) Bill Moore, Maj. Wernher, Dr. (imposter) | Project Moonbase (1953), film | United States Space Force Command (USSF SPACOM) Space station Project Moon Base: Magellan (renamed Moon Base #1) | 1970 |
| First lunar orbital mission turns into Moon landing when Wernher is unmasked as an impostor. The female Col. Briteis was the first human in Earth orbit in 1966. |||
| Ludwig Rechenheim, Dr. Charles Greene Victor Carroon | The Quatermass Experiment (1953), TV | Experimental Rocket | Unknown |
| Astronauts of the British Experimental Rocket Group. Crew of the first manned space mission; only Victor Carroon survives the flight. |||
| Rocket ship: Jason McCloud Space Platform: Unnamed garrison members | Robot Monster (a.k.a. Monster from Mars, Monsters from the Moon) (1953), film | Rocket ship Space Platform | Contemporary |
| Alien invader Ro-Man destroys space platform and rocket carrying Jason and McCloud, two of the last eight humans on Earth. The story turns out to be a little boy's dream. |||
| Space Station: Pepper, Gen. (USAF) (Commanding Officer) (no first name given) Unnamed space taxi pilot Unnamed personnel Moon rocket: George Merola, Capt. (USAF) (Pilot/Navigator) Dan Forbes, 1st Lt. (USAF) (Engineer) Fred Gehardt, Dr. (Geologist) Peter Phelps, M.D. (Physician) Ted Baker | Rocket to Luna (1953), novel | United States Air Force | September 1983 |
| 17-year-old Space Academy cadet Baker, an accidental addition to the crew, crashes first manned Moon rocket in Mare Crisium, forcing him and Forbes to make 1000-mile trek to supply dump in Mare Imbrium near Archimedes. |||
| Pelican One: Joe Kenmore (Skipper) Chief Bender (Engine room) Thomas Haney (Bos'n) Mike Scandia Space Platform: Sanford (Senior scientist/Commander) Brent (Crew psychologist) Corey (Crewman) Brown, Lt. Cmdr. (USN) (Replacement commander) Moonship: Brown, Lt. Cmdr. (USN) (Commander) Unnamed crewmembers | Space Tug (1953), novel | United States Space Exploration Project: Space Platform (space station) Pelican One (supply ship) Unnamed supply ship Moonship | Near Future |
| Pelican One flies first resupply mission to American space station armed with atomic missiles and assists Moonship in making first manned Moon landing. |||
| Stephen Mitchell, Dr. (Engineer) Lisa Frank, Dr. (Mathematician) | Spaceways (1953), film | AS-2 | Near Future |
| American rocket scientist Mitchell, an adviser to British space program, makes first manned spaceflight to prove himself innocent of murder. |||
| Jock Kruger | "Dead Center" (1954), novelet | United States: KIM-VII | Near Future |
| Veteran of two circumlunar lights is first human to land on the Moon, but becomes stranded five degrees of arc onto the lunar farside. |||
| Hugh Allenby (Commander/Astronomer) Burton (Pilot) Janus (Photographer) Gonzales (Botanist) Randolph (Biologist) Peters (Mineralogist) | "The Holes Around Mars" (1954), short story | Mars I | Unknown |
| Crew of the first manned expedition to Mars. They discover that the planet is orbited at very low altitude by a micro black hole. |||
| Rocket 1: Richard Donald Stanton, Dr. (USN) Rocket 2: Jerome "Jerry" Lockwood, Dr. (Prof.) Rocket 3: Walter J. Gordon | Riders to the Stars (1954), film | United States Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI): Rocket 1 Rocket 2 Rocket 3 | Near Future (July – August 10) |
| Astronauts make suborbital flights to capture meteors. |||
| Reverdy L. "Rev" McMillen, III, 1st Lt. (USAF) Rescue ship: Frank Pickrell, Capt. Four unnamed crewmembers | "The Cave of Night" (1955), short story | Unknown (US) | Near Future |
| Efforts to rescue McMillen from orbit inspire humanity to explore space. Pickrell later commands orbital platform Doughnut. Adapted into 1956 X Minus One episode. |||
| Samuel T. Merritt, Col./Gen. Barney Merritt, Capt. André Fodor, Sgt. Imoto, Sgt. (Japan) Mahoney, Sgt. Jackie Siegle, Sgt. | Conquest of Space (1955), film | Unknown | Near Future (late 20th century) |
| Astronauts on a mission to Mars. |||
| 1 (Captain) 2 (Navigator) 3 (Astrophysicist) 4 (Meteorologist) 5 6 (no names given) | Disneyland Man in Space (1955), TV | Operation Space Flight: XR-1 (spaceplane) | Near Future |
| Crew of first manned spaceflight. Crewmember #6 conducts spacewalk. |||
| RM-1: Unnamed captain Frank (Navigator) Bill (Radio Operator) Joe (Engineer) (no last names given) | Disneyland Man and the Moon (a.k.a. Tomorrow the Moon) (1955), TV | Space Station Number One (S-1) RM-1 (Moonship) | Near Future |
| Crew of first manned voyage around the Moon. |||
| Richard Gordon, Dr. (Zoogeographer) Nora Pierce, Dr. (Mineralogist) Ralph Martin, Dr. (Physician) Patricia Bennett, Dr. (Chemist) | King Dinosaur (1955), film | United States | Near Future (from April 23) |
| Travelers to planet Nova, which recently entered Earth's solar system. Launch on October 2. |||
| SV-1: Grinnell (no first name given) Hal Gascoigne, Col. Civilian Intelligence Group (CIG): Peter Harris | "King of the Hill" (1955), short story | United States Air Force: Satellite Vehicle 1 (SV-1) Ferry rocket | Near Future |
| Left too long without being relieved aboard one-man satellite armed with three hydrogen bombs, Gascoigne hallucinates that he has received orders to bomb Washington, D.C. |||
| Tim Rocket ship: Frank Doc (Physician) Roger Fred Moonbeam III: Frank Doc (Physician) Roger Fred Bill Unnamed crewmembers Moonbeam IV: Rusty Unnamed crewmembers The Cow: Tom (Captain) Four unnamed crewmembers Moon Ship I: Roger Unnamed crewmembers Moon Ship II: Frank Unnamed crewmembers Moon Ship III: Tom (Captain) Doc (Physician) (no last names given) Unnamed crewmembers (Bill and Fred also on expedition) | Peter and the Rocket Ship (1955), Peter and the Two-Hour Moon (1956), Peter and the Moon Trip (1957), chapter books | United States Army: Unnamed rocket ship Moonbeam III (rocket) Moonbeam IV (rocket) Two-Hour Moon (Space Station) The Cow Moon Ship I Moon Ship II Moon Ship III | Near Future |
| Young Peter Sills accompanies crews of first manned spaceflight, Moonbeam III mission to build humanity's first space station, and first manned lunar landing. The Cow flies around Moon; Moon Ships I, II and III land in Bay of Rainbows near Sea of Rains, where crews build moon base. |||
| Bernard Quatermass, Prof. Leo Pugh, Dr. | Quatermass II (1955), TV | Experimental Rocket | Near Future |
| Scientists of the British Experimental Rocket Group go into space in an attempt to use a faulty nuclear rocket to blow up an alien asteroid/spacecraft directing a covert invasion of Earth. |||
| Valier: Carl Logan, Maj. (Pilot) Johnny Ruiz, Capt. (Co-Pilot) Edward "Mac" MacNamara, Maj. (USAF) (Flight Engineer) | "Tight Squeeze" (1955), short story | Operation Doughnut (US) Valier Wyld Space Station | Near Future |
| Astronauts on a space station resupply mission who find themselves dealing with mechanical issues after reaching orbit. |||
| Cadets: Cohen "the Wire-haired Terror" Beerbelly Flacker "Mickey Mouse" Gindes Harris Kraków Pete Shank "Walky" Walkinok "Bendover" Wendover Long Haul: Scampy (Cadet) (nickname; no real name given) | "Who?" (a.k.a. "Bulkhead") (1955), novelette | Space Service | Future (post-20th century) |
| Cadet training for starship command whose crewmate on round-trip training voyage is a 15-year-old boy. |||
| "Ridge" Ridging (Geophysicist) "Shan" Shandara (Cartographer) Tazewell (No first names given) Unnamed crewmembers | "Dust Rag" (1956), short story | The Project: Albireo | Future (20th century) |
| On first moon expedition, Ridging and Shandara are endangered by dust in Plato crater. |||
| Two-man teams: Tilton Beck Booker Whitman Don Fowler Al "Mac" MacIntosh Unnamed astronauts Moon rocket/Shuttle: Unnamed pilots | "The Far Look" (1956), novelette | United States: Moon Station Moon rocket Space Station Number One Shuttle | Future |
| Two-man teams return to Earth from twenty-eight-day stays in mobile dome on Mare Imbrium transformed into superior human beings. Tilton and Beck were second team on Moon. |||
| Luther Blair (US) (Nuclear scientist/Expedition leader) Larson, Capt. Anderson (Communications specialist) Doc Higgins (UK) (Scientist) Sydney Stanhope (Geologist) | Fire Maidens from Outer Space (a.k.a. Fire Maidens of Outer Space, Fire Maidens of Space) (1956), film | Expedition 13 (US/UK) | Future |
| Mission to the thirteenth moon of Jupiter discovers survivors of Atlantean civilization. |||
| Lewis Rohnen (Albert Rohnen Foundation) (Expedition Leader) Thomas Russell, Col./Gen. (USAF) (Operational Officer) Bruner, Dr. (No first name given) (Atomic scientist) Franklin Lormer, Maj. (Engineer) Jan Kephart, 1st Lt. (Jet Expert) Maximillian "Mac" Hartman, Lt. (US Army) (Communications Officer) | Night of the Auk (1956), play | First Moon Expedition: Rocket One | Near Future ("The day after some tomorrow") |
| First crewed Moon landing triggers nuclear war on Earth. |||
| M 76: Stephen Maxwell, Prof. (Commander/Navigator) Petifer (Pilot) Bertram Hapton Gordon Holder (Fuel Consumption Engineer) Unnamed crewmember US spacecraft: Stilwell, Gen. Vanburg, Capt. Boles, Lt. John DeLut (Biologist) Jaeger (Mathematician) Unnamed crewmembers | No Man Friday (a.k.a. First on Mars) (1956), novel | M 76 (UK) Unnamed spacecraft (United States Air Force) | c. 1957 – 1972 |
| Holder is stranded on Mars after his crewmates die in decompression accident. American spacecraft lands at latitude −35. |||
| Robin Carew | One Against the Moon (1956), novel | United States Air Force | c. 1958 |
| Carew accidentally stows away aboard uncrewed atomic rocket launched to Moon from New Mexico. |||
| Michael Haydon, Cmdr. "Lefty" Blake Merrity, Prof. (Scientist) Larry Noble Kim Hamilton (Reporter/Stowaway) | Satellite in the Sky (1956), film | Project Stardust (UK) Stardust (spaceplane) | Near Future |
| Spaceplane carries atomic bomb into orbit. |||
| Cologne: Ralph C. Pigeon, Cmdr. Acuff, Lt. Unnamed astronauts Titan Expedition: Crawford, Cdre. Stranger Station: Paul Wesson, Sgt. | "Stranger Station" (1956), short story | Cologne Titan Expedition Stranger Station | July 1, 1987 1997 c. 2087 |
| A century after Pigeon's emergency landing on Titan leads to first contact with non-humanoid alien race, Wesson is sent to Stranger Station in high Earth orbit for a visit by one of the aliens. |||
| Endeavour: Unnamed (Commander) Trevor Williams, Prof. (Astronomer) Henderson (Geophysicist) Dave Bolton (Navigator) Unnamed crewmembers Goddard: "Van" Vandenburg, Capt. (Commander) Paynter, Dr (Geophysicist) Anderson, Dr (Astronomer) Unnamed crewmembers Ziolkovski: Krasnin (Commander) Vladimir Surov (Botanist) Unnamed crewmembers | Venture to the Moon (1956), series of short stories | Endeavour (UK) Goddard (USA) Ziolkovski (USSR) | Near Future (after 1972) |
| First crewed expedition to the Moon, joint UK/US/Russian project; landing in Mare Imbrium. Richards and Shannon named as discoverers of life in Eratosthenes five years later. Vandenburg later travels to Mars, Krasnin to the inner solar system. |||
| Eldon Galbraithe, Dr. (Commander) Herbert Ellis (Radio Operator) John Borden, Dr. (Scientist) Henry Jaffe (Engineer) | World Without End (a.k.a. Flight to the Future) (1956), film | United States: MRX | March 1957 |
| Astronauts returning from Mars orbital mission travel forward in time to the year 2508. |||
| Jonathan Bork, Capt. Jenkins (no first name given) Unnamed pilots | "Captain Bedlam" (1957), short story | Unknown | Future |
| Pilots with induced multiple personalities fly spacecraft carrying cargo and hibernating passengers to the Moon, Mars and Jupiter 8. |||
| Chris Godfrey (UK) Serge Smyslov (USSR) Morrey Kant (USA) Tony Hale (UK) | Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series (1957–79), juvenile novels | Numerous, including Luna 1, Columbus, Lenin and Phoenix | Near Contemporary |
| British astronaut who makes the first crewed spaceflight, launching from Woomera, and international colleagues who later join him in the "United Nations Exploration Agency" for missions to the Moon and all planets in the solar system. |||
| Caldicott Paul Bresh McGuire Stefano Emanuel "Mannie" Mengild George Johnstown Graves, Col. (Commandant, Arizona Research Station) | "The Dark Star" (1957), short story | Unknown | Future |
| Candidates for first flight to the Moon. Bresh makes flight and is later a member of the Second Exploratory Party to Mars. Graves was a rocket pilot in the early days of crewed spaceflight. |||
| "Mighty" Maxon (Captain) 29 unnamed women | "Expedition" (1957), short short story | Unknown | Future |
| Captain of first major Mars expedition quickly impregnates all 29 of his crewmates. |||
| Norris Caird, Cmdr. (Pilot) Kerry (Medical Officer/Deputy Pilot/Navigator) John Patterson (US) (Electronics Officer) Robert Vaughan (Engineer/Geologist) Janet Ross (Stowaway) | High Vacuum (1957), novel | Ministry of Astronautics (M.O.A.) (UK): Alpha | Near Future |
| First crewed Moon rocket crash-lands in Mare Imbrium due to added weight of stowaway. |||
| Bruce G. Davis, Jr. Marvin Oldbury | "Ideas Die Hard" (1957), short story | Project Deep Space (US) | Near Future |
| Astronauts attempt to learn why three uncrewed spacecraft failed on way to the Moon. |||
| Dave Woodbury John Hansen | "Insert Knob A in Hole B" (1957), short short story | Space Station A5 | Future |
| Astronauts plagued by ambiguous assembly instructions for equipment. |||
| Harper (Captain) Jantz, Prof. (Mathematician/Astronomer) Jackson, Dr. (Geologist) Holt, Dr. (Chemist) Pegram (Navigator) Davis (Engineer) (no first names given) | "Intruders" (1957), short story | Executive Council, Expedition H.Q. (a.k.a. Organization Headquarters) Advance Expedition: Lunar Base One | Future |
| First expedition to the Moon establishes underground base near Tycho, but must fight unexpected enemies. |||
| Baird (Skipper/Pilot) (no first name given) Hernandez (Engineer) (no first name given) Unnamed instrument man | "The Light" (1957), short story | United States: Benjamin Franklin | Near Future |
| First Americans on the Moon explore the crater Plato and discover outgassing of water vapor and evidence that someone has been there before them. Benjamin Franklin launches to Moon from space station in Earth orbit. Adapted into X Minus One episode in October 1957. |||
| Communications Satellite Two: Unnamed (Narrator) Sven Olsen (Construction) Jock Duncan (Cook/Doctor) Jim (no last name given) (Engineer) Gregory "Gregg" Wendell (Junior station announcer) Unnamed (Head of transport section) Unnamed crewmembers Solar Observatory: Julie (no last name given) (Solar physicist) Unnamed crewmembers Starfire: Stevens (Captain) Unnamed crewmembers | The Other Side of the Sky (1957), series of short stories | Space Service: Communications Satellite Two (a.k.a. Relay Two) Solar Observatory Starfire | Late 1970s January 1, 2001 |
| Workers building communications relay satellite and studying Sun in late 1970s. In 2001 narrator's son departs aboard Starfire, flagship of ten-ship Mars expedition. |||
| Harry Ross (Flight Commander) Brainerd (First Astrogator) Lon Curtis (Second Astrogator) "Doc" Spangler (Psych Officer) Krinsky (Accumulator Tech) Llewellyn Fallbridge Dominic | "Sunrise On Mercury" (1957), short story | Second Mercury Expedition: Leverrier | Future |
| Second crew to land on Mercury encounters telepathic lifeform. |||
| Robert Calder, Col. (Commander) Sharman, Dr. (Chief scientist) 15 unnamed crewmembers | 20 Million Miles to Earth (a.k.a. The Giant Ymir, The Beast from Space) (1957), film | United States Air Force Project 5: XY-21 (single-stage rocket) | Near Future |
| 13-month round-trip mission to Venus brings back egg of dinosaur-like creature. |||
| Argus II: Moran (Captain) Sinkley (Pilot) Beckett (Chief Engineer) Kranolsky, Dr. (Medical Officer) "Sparks" (Radio Operator) Unnamed crewmembers | "Welcoming Committee" (1957), short story | Argus Argus II | Future |
| Crew of second Mars mission searches for missing crew of first mission. |||
| Ferranti Smith MR-1: Hank Williams, Lt. Bill, Lt. (Navigator) (no last name given) | "Critical Angle" (1958), short story | Rocket Service (US): MR-1 | Near Future |
| First crewed spacecraft on the Moon is trapped by dust in Copernicus, but breaks free with unexpected consequences. |||
| John McLaren, Prof. (US) | The Day the Sky Exploded (a.k.a. Death Comes from Outer Space) (1958), film | US/Russia/UK: X-Z atomic rocket | Near Future |
| First attempted circumnavigation of Moon results in Earth being threatened with meteorite bombardment. |||
| Max Canning | "First Man in a Satellite" (1958), short story | United States | Near Future |
| Three-foot-tall dancer and tumbler, a test subject rather than a pilot, becomes first human in space aboard spherical capsule within blunt-winged spacecraft. |||
| Romer Temple S-2: Ken Pickering (USAF) Aztec: Adam Philip Crag (Commander) Max Edward Prochaska (Electronics Chief) Gordon Wells Nagel (Oxygen systems) Igor Malin (impersonating Martin LeRoy Larkwell) (Mechanical maintenance/construction) Astronaut: Michael Gotch, Col. (USAF) Fredrick Gunter (Secretary-General of the United Nations) Unnamed pilot Two unnamed crewmembers "Bandit": Otto Richter (East Germany) (Scientist) Two unnamed crewmembers "Red Dog": Four unnamed crewmembers | First on the Moon (1958), novel | United States Air Force Step One: S-2 (Satelloid) Aztec Astronaut (atomic spacecraft) "Eastern World": "Bandit" "Red Dog" | Near Future |
| American mission to establish moonbase in Arzachel crater is opposed by unnamed "enemy" power from behind Iron Curtain, and complicated by presence of ringer in crew. Pickering is first human in space aboard "satelloid", a spaceplane with small wings. |||
| Van Wyck (Captain) Byron Pat Gilvey, Dr. Marvin T. "Chowderhead" Roebuck Sam Wally | "The Hated" (1958), short story | Unknown | Future |
| Crew of Mars mission returns to Earth wanting to kill each other. |||
| Challenge 141: Edward Carruthers, Col. Nine unnamed crewmembers Challenge 142: Van Heusen, Col. (Commander) Ann Anderson (Geologist/Archeologist) James Calder, Lt. Bob Finelli Gino Finelli Joseph Kienholz (Biologist) John Purdue, Maj. Eric Royce, Dr. Mary Royce, Dr. (Physician) | It! The Terror from Beyond Space (a.k.a. It, The Vampire from Outer Space) (1958), film | United States Space Commission: Challenge 141 Challenge 142 | July 1973 |
| Carruthers, the sole survivor of the first expedition to Mars, is accused of murdering his fellow crewmembers. |||
| Joan Jones | Joan of Arkansas (1958), TV | United States | Contemporary/Near Future |
| Unsold sitcom pilot about dental technician chosen to become first human on Moon. |||
| Stepan Mikhailovich Ivankov, Maj. Bryant "Bud" Ashland, Capt. (USAF) | "The Manned Missiles" (1958), short story | Soviet Union United States | Contemporary/Near Future |
| Ivankov, the first man in space, and Ashland, the first American in space, die when their spacecraft collide in orbit. |||
| Steve Dayton June Saxton Gary Fennell (Convict) Lon (Convict) | Missile to the Moon (1958), film | Unknown | Near Future |
| Rocket researchers and escaped convicts encounter female lunar inhabitants. Loose remake of Cat-Women of the Moon (q.v.). |||
| Junius Robb, Capt. (USAF) Anderson (First Officer) Hamston (Rocket expert) Kingsley (US Army) (Radio operator) Farnsworth (Astrogator) | "Moon Glow" (1958), short story | Project Ajax (?) Ajax XX | Near Future |
| First Americans to land on the moon. |||
| John Corcoran, Maj. | Night of the Blood Beast (a.k.a. Creature from Galaxy 27) (1958), film | X-100 | Contemporary/Near Future |
| First man launched into orbit; seemingly dies on reentry. |||
| British Satellite Station: Unnamed commander George Montgomery "Ticker" Troon, Flt Lt, VC Nobby Dobbin Unnamed crewmembers British Moon-Station: Michael Troon (Station-Commander) Reeves (Sub-Commander) Calmore (Sub-Commander) Ellen (Physician) (no last name given) Hughes Witley, Sgt. Unnamed crewmembers Soviet Moon-Station: Alexei Goudenkovitch Budorieff, Gen. (Red Army) (Commander) Zinochek, Col. 354 unnamed crewmembers Figurão: Raul Campaneiro (Commander) Geoffrey Montgomery Trunho, Capt. (Navigator) Camilo Botoes, Lt. (Electronics Officer/Geologist) | The Outward Urge (1958), novel | British Satellite Station British Moon-Station Soviet Moon-Station Skyforce, Space Division (Estados Unidos do Brasil): E.U.B. Spacevessel Figurão | November 1994 2044 December 9, 2093 – June 24, 2094 |
| In 1994, Ticker Troon sacrifices himself to save British Satellite Station from enemy missile. Fifty years later, his son Michael commands British Moon-Station in Archimedes crater during nuclear war on Earth which results in destruction of American Moon-Station in Copernicus and Soviet Moon-Station in Ptolemy. In 2094, Michael's great-grandson Geoff is fatally stranded on Mars after first crewed landing when Figurão becomes disabled. Landing on April 18, 2094, in Isidis-Syrtis Major area at 48°N 275°E﻿ / ﻿48°N 275°E﻿ / 48; 275. |||
| Starfire: Neil Patterson, Capt. (Commander) Michael Cruze, Lt. Larry Turner, Lt. (USAF) (Navigator) Konrad, Prof. (Dr.) (Passenger) (no first name given) Space Station A: Berger (no first name given) Unnamed crewmembers | Queen of Outer Space (a.k.a. Queen of the Universe) (1958), film | United States: Starfire (TF-5) Space Station A | 1985 |
| Rays from Venus destroy space station and send ferry rocket Starfire off course to that planet. Patterson and his crew were the first men to orbit the Moon. |||
| Holt, Maj. Gen. (Commander of space station) Kelly, Capt. (later promoted to Major) Unnamed sergeant Unnamed technician Other unnamed crewmembers | Race for the Moon "The Thing on Sputnik 4!" (1958), comic | United States: Rotating wheel space station | Near Future |
| Military astronaut Kelly encounters alien creature clinging to Sputnik 4. |||
| American satellite: Morgan (Commander) "Shorty" Kaufman (Astronomer) "Mac" McNary (Meteorologist) Russian satellite: Three unnamed cosmonauts | "Satellite Passage" (1958), short story | American satellite Russian satellite | Near Future |
| American and Russian crews on near-collision course. |||
| Morley Unnamed trainees Mars mission: Tony Bannerman, Lt. Hal Mendoza | "Simulated Trainer" (1958), short story | Unknown (United States) | Future |
| Military astronauts on simulated Mars mission which turns out not to be a simulation. |||
| David Boyer (Astronomer) John Compo (Astronomical Engineer) Sybil Carrington (Researcher) Howard Lazar, Dr. (Physician) Unnamed crewmembers | War of the Satellites (1958), film | United Nations: Project Sigma | Near Future |
| Crew launched aboard three spacecraft which merge into single satellite in attempt to breach alien quarantine of Earth. |||
| Unnamed (Space Station Supervisor) Unnamed doctors | "Who's There?" (1958), short story | Space Station | Early 1980s |
| Spaceman hears mysterious noises during spacewalk. Bernie Summers named as earlier spacewalk casualty. |||
| Brice Rogers | World's Finest Comics "The Menace of the Moonman!" (1958), comic | Unknown | Contemporary/Near Future |
| Pilot of first crewed space rocket, hurled into lunar orbit by Superman; he flies through a comet's tail and becomes the super-powered Moonman. |||
| Thomas O'Bannion, Col. (USAF) (Pilot/Navigator) Iris "Irish" Ryan, Dr. (Biologist/Zoologist) Theodore Gettell, Prof. (Scientist) Sam Jacobs, CWO (Electronics/Radar) | The Angry Red Planet (a.k.a. Invasion of Mars) (1959), film | MR-1 | Near Future |
| First crewed Mars mission encounters bizarre dangers. |||
| Space Station JSS3: Unnamed personnel SPIP Ship 1: Kenjiro Adachi, Dr. (Prof.) (Commander) Ichiro Katsumiya, Maj. (Chief) Araki Yuichi Iwamura (Navigator) Kogure Okada Pierce (Gunner) Etsuko Shiraishi (Radio) Ship 2: Roger Richardson, Dr. (Prof.) (Commander) Nomura (Chief) Komeda Sato Sylvia (Radio) (no last name given) 3 other crewmembers Fighter rockets: Unnamed pilots | Battle in Outer Space (a.k.a. The World of Space) (1959), film | Space Station JSS3 United Nations (F.F.E.) SPIP: Ship 1 Ship 2 Fighter rockets | 1965 |
| Earth fights hostile aliens from planet Natal. Two SPIP ships fly to Moon to investigate alien base near Mare Marginis. |||
| Space station: James Benedict, Dr. (Director of US space program) "Matt" Matthews, Col. (Ship commander) Kurt Easton, Dr. (Observer) Unnamed astronauts Lunar spacecraft: Dave Reynolds (Commander) Three unnamed astronauts | Destination Space (1959), TV movie | Space Station B.B. ("Benedict's Billions") (US) Lunar spacecraft (US) | Near Future |
| Failed attempts to launch first lunar orbit mission from space station. |||
| Stone, Capt. Barton Leon Merriweather Parkhurst Vecchi (no first names given) | "Explorers We" (1959), short story | Earth-Mars Expedition | Near Future (April 9 – Late July) |
| Six-man crew of 18-month round-trip Mars landing mission encounters fear and hostility upon landing near Burlingame, California. |||
| Moonship: McRoberts, Maj. (Commander) (First name not given) Brad Summers, Capt. (Copilot) Space Station: Anderson, Col. (Commander) (First name not given) Milton, Dr. (Astronomer) (First name not given) Unnamed crewmembers Ferry rocket: Unnamed pilot | First Boy on the Moon (1959), novel | United States Space Force: Moonship Space Station Ferry rocket | Near Future |
| Two boys and a frog stow away on the first crewed mission to the Moon. |||
| Dan Milton Prescott, Lt. (USN) | First Man into Space (a.k.a. Satellite of Blood) (1959), film | United States Navy: Y-12 spaceplane Y-13 spaceplane | Near Future |
| Air Force Space Command pilot flies plane into space, returns as monster. |||
| Unnamed astronaut (US) | "The Man Who Lost the Sea" (1959), short story | Alpha (booster) Beta (booster) Gamma (Mars lander) Delta (Earth return ship) | Future (c. late 20th century) |
| Astronaut dying after crash-landing on Mars. |||
| Rodina/Mercury: Eugene Kornev/Albert Gordon, Dr. (Scientist) Andrei Gordienko/Craig Matthews Typhoon: Robert Klark/Torrance, Capt. Erwin Verst/Dan Martin, Dr. Meteor: Gregory Somov/Paul Clinton | Nebo Zovyot (1959), film Battle Beyond the Sun (1962), film | Space station Rodina ("Homeland")/Mercury Typhoon Meteor | Future (Nebo Zovyot) November 1997 (Battle Beyond the Sun) |
| Soviet film re-edited for American release with names changed. Rodina/Mercury and Typhoon (nations of origin unspecified in Soviet version; "South Hemis" and "North Hemis" in American version) both attempt first Mars flight, but an emergency rescue leads to a landing on the asteroid Icarus instead. The events in the Soviet version turn out to be a dream. South Hemis' Mars mission called "Project Red Planet" in American version. |||
| Unnamed (USSR) (Chief Co-ordinator of Project Ares) Jim Hutchins (US) (Assistant) Hutchins' wife (unnamed) | "Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting..." (1959), short story | Astronautics Authority: First Lunar Base Project Ares Alpha Beta Gamma | 1977 |
| First crewed Mars expedition in preparation at lunar base inside crater Plato; meanwhile, Hutchins' son is first human born off-Earth. References to past events include US Navy rescue of cosmonaut Dimitri Kalinin in South Pacific; Jerry Wingate making first crewed orbit of Moon; landing of Hermann Oberth in Bay of Rainbows with loss of crew members. |||
| Mike Ferris, Sgt. (USAF) | The Twilight Zone Where Is Everybody? (1959), TV | United States Air Force | Contemporary |
| Air Force astronaut trainee hallucinates himself in empty town during isolation experiment. |||
| Stafford (no first name given) Traill Henderson (no first names given) Trevor Woodford Fox (no first names given) John Jenkin, Lt. | "Forms of Things Unknown" (1966), short story | High Command | Near Future |
| In posthumously published story by C. S. Lewis, first four manned missions to the Moon all end with contact abruptly lost with crews. |||