A view from the sky

Portrayed in endless variations, the wheel space station seemed at one time to be an inevitable step in the conquest of space. I wonder if the mystique of the wheel design stems in part from a misreading of the original 1952 von Braun/Bonestell illustration (shown above). The square panels on the outside of the space station are slats that open and close to control temperature. Yet, at a glance, they appear to be windows. One can imagine the pleasure of orbiting high above the earth enjoying the panoramic view. Of course, these panels were never meant to be windows given that the space station spins to create artificial gravity; the space station's outer wall is actually its floor.

Nonetheless, Disneyland's Space Station X-1 exhibit embodied the "picture window on the wall" miscue. In this attraction which appeared at the park from 1955-1960, viewers gazed at a panoramic miniature from a simulated aerial view.

Today, revolving restaurants recreate a space station experience adding dining to the romance of viewing a landscape from orbit.

In this Space Patrol trading card from the fifties (below), we literally see the von Braun temperature control panels turned into windows. The back of the card reads, "Stop-off point for rockets in flight to and from distant planets, the Space Station serves as a refueling point for rockets. Here pilots can rest briefly, service their ships, receive medical care, and prepare their flight reports in ease and comfort." Invitingly, the space station's lights have been left on for us.