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Explorers on the Moon: The Thom(p)sons, lost - with guns?

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cigars of the beeper
Member
#21 · Posted: 17 Apr 2009 17:53
Perhaps those guns which they had in their sidepacks were actually some special sort of gun which can fire signal flares or (more implausibly) grappling hooks. Since we never do see what those do look like, they might not be normal.

Harrock n roll:
I don't know if you've seen the film Wall-E, but a fire extinguisher works pretty well for that!

Funny!
jock123
Moderator
#22 · Posted: 28 Apr 2009 12:18
Something kept niggling at the back of my mind about this, and finally it clicked: what if there were some indication in the source material Hergé used, which would show astronauts equipped with guns? Specifically, what about those space paintings by Chesley Bonestell, which he clipped from Collier's magazine?

I don't have the magazines myself, but I do have The Conquest of Space, a book which was written by Willy Ley, author of the articles, and illustrated by Bonestell, and which I think was based on their Collier's pieces; I also have a book on Bonestell's work, including his space concepts of the middle of last century.

Looking at these unfortunately proved inconclusive: the pictures are reproduced too small, too dark or both, and many are only black and white photos of colour orginals and lack definition. One of his later (c.1956) pictures of people on Mars might just possibly have them with holsters at their waists, but I couldn't tell, and besides it would be too late.

I then contacted the Chesley Bonestell Archive in the U.S., to see if they could shed any light on the matter. Having introduced the Forums, and explained the nature of this thread, I asked:
I would be very grateful if, given your knowledge of Bonestell's work, you could possibly say if the holster/ armed astronaut was a feature of his work, or if it was an addition by Hergé?

I received a very prompt response from Melvin Schuetz, the archivist, who responded as follows:

Thank you for your interest in the art of Chesley Bonestell.

As to your inquiry, I must say that the subject of sidearms on spacesuits in Bonestell paintings is something I have never thought of, or researched before. In the reproductions of his paintings in books and magazines, the images are (as you say) too small or dark to tell. One exception that comes to mind for now is the cover of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction for April 1955. In this illustration of astronauts exploring Mars, there appears to be something hanging from their waists, which could perhaps be sidearms, but it is really not possible to be sure.

In the film, Destination Moon, the astronauts are equipped with rope, flashlights, and some tools, hanging from their waists, from what I remember.

There is one Tintin book I know of which also includes some of the actual Collier's Bonestell art:

Farr, Michael. Tintin: The Complete Companion.
San Francisco: Last Gasp, 2002.
ISBN 0-86719-901-6

The Bonestell illustrations are on p.139 and pp.142-43, my records show.

Sorry that I cannot definitively answer your question, but I am pretty sure that in the case of Tintin it was Herge' that provided the sidearms.

All the best,

Melvin Schuetz


I've looked at the Companion, and again the figures are too small to say what they are carrying; the astronaut on p. 139 may have an unidentified something at his waist, but that could be tools or other objects as Mr. Schuetz
says of the film's astronauts.
I also think that the film is of interest in so far as they had input directly from Bonestell; had he been of the opinion that lunar explorers should be armed, I'm sure they would have been.
Looking at the Companion also provided a photo of the prototype space suit from the archives in Belgium which Hergé used as the basis of his suits, and this doesn't show a holster either.
I therefor tend to agree with Mr. Schuetz's opinion that the holsters and weapons were the creation of Hergé.
Harrock n roll
Moderator
#23 · Posted: 29 Apr 2009 11:29
A big up to jock for getting a word from Mr. Schuetz at the Bonestell Archive!

That proves that Hergé didn't use the Collier's Magazine articles as his source. It would seem logical that guns were purposely left out of the Collier's article (and Willy Ley book). They were presenting space travel as a reality, so showing astronauts carrying guns would have hinted at the possibility of alien life, and then less people might have taken it seriously. Perhaps also, since these books began to appear after the war, people wanted to get away from the concept of armed forces involved in the conquest of space and keep it a weapons-free pursuit.


My feeling is that (as has been mentioned here already) Hergé was partly taking his cue from earlier science fiction space stories in which carrying weapons was the norm (think of all the thousands of stories that appeared in the 1940s onwards featuring dashing spacemen carrying ray-guns.) Plus the threat of saboteurs and the need for a simple plot device...
cigars of the beeper
Member
#24 · Posted: 29 Apr 2009 16:20
Thanks for all the research, Jock. You've really thrown some light on the subject.
mct16
Member
#25 · Posted: 26 Nov 2011 16:00
I can across this website which included pages from the original magazine edition of "Explorers" and the scene which I mention in my opening post. In it, when Thompson takes his gun, Tintin refers to it as a "Colt" and a weapon.

It actually looks rather like a Colt Woodsman Automatic.

The guy who put up these images finds the presence of firearms equally absurd. They certainly do not look designed for signal flares or grappling hooks.

I suppose it could be that Herge did believe in aliens after all.
Harry Hayfield
Member
#26 · Posted: 26 Nov 2011 18:35
This is where it's helpful to be a member of multiple forums. I have as a result, just posted this question "Can a gun fire in outer space?" onto the Mythbusters forum where ideas are discussed for inclusion in the programme. Seeing as most of their ideas come from Hollywood films, it is not impossible to reason that this may be included as a filmed story?

Additional Information: It turns out that this question has been asked before and the answer is YES. The powder has its own oxidizer.

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