Travel back in time

1961
One Step Beyond: Midnight

One Step BeyondABC airs the 94th episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond. This episode is a repurposed 1950 episode of the anthology series Stars Over Hollywood, and as such is neither directed nor introduced by John Newland.

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‘Way Out: The Overnight Case

'Way OutCBS broadcasts the tenth episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. Kevin McCarthy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers) and Martin Balsam star.

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One Step Beyond: The Tiger

One Step BeyondABC airs the 95th episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland, and written by Ian Staurt Black (Doctor Who).

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‘Way Out: Hush Hush

'Way OutCBS broadcasts the 11th episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. Woodrow Parfrey (Time Express) stars.

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The Avengers: Death On The Slipway

The AvengersThe 17th episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.

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One Step Beyond: Nightmare

One Step BeyondABC airs the 96th episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland. Peter Wyngarde (Department S, Jason King, Flash Gordon) guest stars.

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‘Way Out: Side Show

'Way OutCBS broadcasts the 12th episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. Murray Hamilton (Jaws) and Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond) star.

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One Step Beyond: Eyewitness

One Step BeyondABC airs the 97th and final episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland. John Meillon and Anton Rodgers guest star. Though this is the last episode of the venerable series, the name and format – and even some episode scripts – will be revived for a follow-up series, The Next Step Beyond, in the 1970s, also hosted by Newland.

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‘Way Out: Soft Focus

'Way OutCBS broadcasts the 13th episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. Barry Morse (Space: 1999, The Martian Chronicles) and Mitchell Ryan star.

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The Avengers: Double Danger

The AvengersThe 18th episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.

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Gravitational assist

Mike MinovitchRecent Jet Propulsion Laboratory hire Michael Minovitch submits the first of a series of papers and technical memorandums on the possibility of using carefully-calculated gravitational assist maneuvers to speed transit time between celestial bodies while requiring minimal engine/fuel use. Where most previous scientific thought concentrated on using engine burns (and a lot of fuel) to cancel the effects of a planet’s gravity, Minovitch demonstrated that gravity could be a big help with a carefully calculated trajectory. Though nearly every planetary mission since then has capitalized on Minovitch’s research, it was initially rejected by JPL. Minovitch’s calculations are later revisited by Caltech grad student Gary Flandro, who flags down a particular combination of Minovitch’s pre-computed trajectories for a “grand tour” of the outer solar system, a mission which will eventually be known – in a somewhat scaled-down, less grand form – as Voyager.

TIROS-3

TIROSNASA and the United States Weather Bureau launch the third experimental TIROS weather satellite, TIROS-3. Further refinements to the basic TIROS satellite system are made, but one of the satellite’s two television cameras fails within days of going into service. TIROS-3 proves the future life-saving potential of weather satellites by giving Earthbound meteorologists advance warning of the formation and strengthening of Hurricane Esther well before it makes landfall on the east coast of the United States. TIROS-3 is operational for less than a year.

‘Way Out: 20/20

'Way OutCBS broadcasts the 14th and final episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. With ratings steadily falling, and network production shifting from New York to Hollywood, the series has reached its end.

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Mercury 4: a sinking feeling

Gus GrissomThe second American in space is Virgil “Gus” Grissom, pilot of the Mercury 4 capsule Liberty Bell 7. Like Alan Shepard’s flight, Grissom’s launch reaches an altitute of 118 miles and splashes down 15 minutes later, but mechanical problems with the explosive bolts to release the capsule’s hatch allow water into the vehicle. Grissom has to bail out at sea, wearing a spacesuit that’s rapidly taking on water, while Liberty Bell 7 sinks to the bottom of the Atlantic. Grissom weathers repeated accusations that he manually blew the hatch and caused his vehicle to sink, a claim which is later disproven.

The Avengers: Toy Trap

The AvengersThe 19th episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.

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The Avengers: Tunnel Of Fear

The AvengersThe 20th episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This is one of only three first season episodes that still exists in its entirety.

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Vostok 2

Vostok 2The Soviet Union launches its second manned spacecraft, Vostok 2, with cosmonaut Gherman Titov aboard. This mission sets a new space endurance record, with Titov spending just over one day in orbit, circling Earth 17 times in the process. Later accounts show that it’s not a pleasant day in orbit: Titov is reportedly the first sufferer of space sickness, vomiting in the cabin of his Vostok capsule.

MIT to design Apollo spacecraft computers

Apollo Guidance & Navigation computerThe first government contract is issued in the Apollo lunar landing program, as MIT lands the contract to develop the guidance and navigation computer at the heart of the Apollo vehicles. For its day, MIT designed one of the most robust computers that early ’60s technology could squeeze into such a small space; modern digital watches are far more powerful than that computer. The same computer system will be installed in both the command module and the lunar module.

The Avengers: The Far Distant Dead

The AvengersThe 21st episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.

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Ranger 1

RangerNASA launches the Ranger 1 lunar probe, designed to test a new vehicle configuration to reach the moon, transmitting pictures back to Earth as it falls toward impact on the lunar surface. The Agena second stage rocket designed to push Ranger 1 into a much higher orbit to escape Earth’s gravity fails, and Ranger 1 falls back into Earth’s atmosphere, disintegrating eight days after launch. This is the first of a series of setbacks for the troubled Ranger program.

The Avengers: Kill The King

The AvengersThe 22nd episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.

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The Twilight Zone: Two

The Twilight ZoneThe 66th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson star in the third season premiere.

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Twilight Zone: The Arrival

The Twilight ZoneThe 67th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Harold J. Stone and Fredd Wayne star in an episode written by Serling.

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Twilight Zone: The Shelter

The Twilight ZoneThe 68th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Larry Gates and Jack Albertson star in an episode written by Serling.

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A For Andromeda: The Message

A For AndromedaThe first episode of the British science fiction series A For Andromeda, created and written by John Elliot and astronomer Fred Hoyle, premieres on the BBC, starring Esmond Knight and Julie Christie. Despite being considered a seminal early British science fiction series, much of A For Andromeda, including this episode, no longer exists in the BBC’s archives.

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