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Lost to baby-boomers for years... but recently rediscovered. This was a rare and obscure classic early-morning cartoon series about a space rescue mission to Mars by a boy searching for his lost astronaut father with the help of the wise “Professor Nordheim“ and a strange co-pilot named “Smitty the Navigator.“ The rocket spaceship named “Polaris“ had a large clear front window where all the oncoming stars and asteroids and other planets could be seen. There was also a cool red blinking light with a beeping or bleeping sound called the “Iridium Detector.“ It was first broadcast just after the Russians launched the telecommunications satellite “Sputnik.“ This was actually a popular cartoon that involved the “Space Race“ era of todays baby-boomers. First to air in 1958, it is rated by some as one of the #1 factual early space cartoons, because the writers used consultants from the United Stated Air Force (USAF) and the Hayden Planetarium Planetarium to encourage young children to develop an interest in space research and travel. Trivia collector's will want to know that the very first television airing of The Space Explorers feature film was shown in 1958 by Claude Kirchner on WOR-TV, Channel 9, in New York. Shown on these shows and stations in the 1950's and early 1960's: ►Ranger Hal (Hal Shaw of WTOP-TV Channel 9 in Washington, DC), ►Sheriff John (John Rovick of KTTV-TV Channel 11, Los Angeles, CA), ►“The Pancake Man“ (Hal Smith, seen on KHJ-TV (Now KCAL) Ch. 9 In Hollywood, CA), ►Garfield Goose (Frazier Thomas of WGN-TV Channel 9 in Chicago), ►Captain Satellite (Bob March of KTVU-TV, Channel 2 in San Francisco, CA), ►Major Mudd (Ed T. McDonell of WNAC-TV Channel 7 in New England, Boston), ►“Afternoon Roundup“ (Sally Starr of WFIL-TV Channel 6 in Philadelphia, PA), ►P.J.'s Club (Pete Jamerson of WMAL-TV Channel 7 in Washington, DC). Please share this with other people you know that may remember it. * Official website is Radio & Television Packagers, Inc. William Cayton - Producer Fred Laderman - Director, Animation The Space Explorers and The New Adventures of the Space Explorers by CARTOON CLASSICS© are Copyrighted by Radio & Television Packagers, Inc. All original images and multimedia sound clips are courtesy of Radio & Television Packagers, Inc. and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of Radio and Television Packagers Inc. Animatoons™ is a trademark of Radio & Television Packagers, Inc. This video content uploaded by the webmaster of
