 Photo 8 | Captain Steve Strong (right) gives the cadets last-minute instructions prior to blast-off, while Cadet Astro prepares to descend to his post on the Power Deck below. (Note the round hatch between the control deck and power deck compartments- a very similar principle is employed on the real spacecraft of today.) Cadet Roger Manning (second from right) will soon be climbing the ladder (rear wall) up to his post on the Radar Bridge. (Space ships improved subsequently- at least the USS Enterprise had a voice-activated elevator!)
The blast-off check list for the Polaris was something that NASA would envy- short and sweet. Having heard it so many times, I will never forget it: |
| Captain Strong would issue the commands, and the cadets would respond like this: "Energize the cooling pumps." |
Then we heard the roar of the rockets blasting and the cadets would slam themselves back into their reclining chairs under the effect of sudden acceleration. The screen switched to a motion picture of a real V2 rocket blasting off, and we were on our way to a new adventure.
It was great.
