Man in Space (television) Television show; aired on March 9, 1955. Directed by Ward Kimball. Space scientists Willy Ley, Heinz Haber, and Wernher von Braun help explain some of the challenges of space exploration, including a discussion of some of the perceived problems of weightlessness. The history of rockets is shown in animation, beginning with 13th-century Chinese experiments. Von Braun unveils a four-stage, passenger-carrying rocket ship that could break free of the earth’s gravitational pull, leading to an animated depiction of man’s first trip into space. An abridged version (33 min.) was released theatrically as a featurette on July 18, 1956. This was the first of several Disney shows on space exploration. President Eisenhower requested a print of this film to show the brass at the Pentagon, and it was evidently instrumental in helping to push them into the space program. The doughnut-shaped space station model has been on long-term loan to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Documentary). The educational film All About Weightlessness was excerpted from this television show.
