Conquest of Space

In 1950, two science fiction movies made their debut. Conquest of Space featured a space station, and an atomic rocket ship - both designed by Wernher von Braun and Willy Ley, and a journey to Mars.

1950 was seven years before Sputnik...but Germany's rocket scientists had been spirited away from Peenemunde by both Russians and Germans for one purpose only,for man to get into space. These two movies were made in "near history" - with technology that was felt to be possible in the very near future.

Seven years later... the Space Race began in earnest. And these two movies, as well as the other, famous "Radiation Theater" movies of the 1950s, prepared the world for the event.

Movie Spoilers below!



Rocketship X-M started filming after Conquest started, and was finished several weeks before Conquest was, and made its debut to ride the wave of expection for Conquest. (It was also in black and white, while Conquest was in color.

Rocketship X-M stood for Expedition Moon, only there was an accident in space and the ship ended up heading for Mars. On its return, the sole female aboard the ship, a scientist, miscalculated the fuel requirements, so the ship crashed on return to Earth, and all aboard died. (The captain of that ship was Lloyd Bridges - pre-Sea Hunt.)

Conquest of Space had no big starsm but did have such actors as Ross Martin of pre-Wild Wild West fame, and Benson Fong - the only minority, a Chinese-American scientist.

Here are a few quotes from the movie:

Narrator: This is a story of tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, when men have built a station in space, constructed in the form of a great wheel, and set a thousand miles out from the Earth, fixed by gravity, and turning about the world every two hours, serving a double purpose: an observation post in the heavens, and a place where a spaceship can be assembled, and then launched to explore other planets, and the vast universe itself, in the last and greatest adventure of mankind, the plunge toward the...
[A rocket fires]
Narrator: conquest of space!

Religion vs Science, Exploration vs Invasion

General Samuel T. Merritt: According to the Bible, Man was created on the Earth. Nothing is ever mentioned of his going to other planets. Not one blessed word.

Captain Barney Merritt: Well, at the time the Bible was written, it wouldn't have made much sense, would it?

General Samuel T. Merritt: Does it now? The Biblical limitations of Man's wanderings are set down as being the four corners of the Earth. Not Mars, or Jupiter, or infinity. The question is, Barney, what are we -- explorers or invaders?

Captain Barney Merritt: Invaders? Of what, sir?

General Samuel T. Merritt: The sacred domain of God. His heavens. To Man, God gave the Earth, nothing else. This taking of... of other planets... it's almost like an act of blasphemy.

Captain Barney Merritt: But why? They belong to no one else.

General Samuel T. Merritt: We don't know that.


Captain Barney Merritt: But look, sir, it couldn't be just an accident that at the very time when Man's resources on Earth are reaching an end, Man develops the ability to leave his own world and seek replenishment on other planets. The timing is what fascinates me: it's too perfect to be accidental.

General Samuel T. Merritt: Those other planets might already be tenanted.

Captain Barney Merritt: Oh, I don't think so... the universe was put here for Man to conquer.