Space World

The article ‘Astounding Science, Amazing Theories’ [ FT355:40-45] especially caught my eye, since it discusses Ray Palmer and his involvement in early UFO-related fantasy tales. I doubt many nonUS readers will know this – and indeed not many Yanks will either – but Ray also once published a serious space science magazine called Space World. The magazine was founded in May 1960 by William Woolfolk, who was also a prolific science fiction author and screenwriter. Otto Binder, Wernher von Braun, Willy Ley, and other noted space scientists wrote most of the stories in the earlier issues. In 1963 Palmer acquired the magazine, changed its subtitle from “The news magazine of Astro-Science” to “The magazine of space news”, and continued publishing it until his death in the 1970s. It then became officially associated with NASA for some time, and finally folded in 1989.

The magazine was heavily technical, with detailed stories about upcoming launches, new technologies, lists of satellites and frequencies. Many issues also featured a “Russian report” of activities by Soviet scientists. Some articles were also more fanciful depictions of the future of space travel, colonisation of new planets, and potential benefits to humanity. Advertising was very limited (we often wonder how Palmer made money), and included vendors of amateur rocketry components as well as schools of engineering. Of course, Ray also slipped in occasional links to his SF related titles (who wouldn’t?). I happened across a few early issues some years ago and, having grown up during the heyday of the space race, started collecting them. Recently I acquired the copyright from the last publisher, and have started offering copies online for a few dollars each in an effort to finance acquisition of more issues and other materials related to the early space age. Interested readers can visit my website for more info (and one free issue, if interested). http:// criticalenquiry.org/wp/spaceworld-issues/ Dick Joltes Boston, Massachusetts