Orbit Jet
Encyclopedia
The Orbit Jet was a fictional spaceship
in the 1954 TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
. It strongly resembled a V-2 rocket
in overall form, with a very prominent exhaust plume when flying, but had wings in addition to tailfins (even its radio callsign, "XV-2" relates it that seminal World War II
design). There were references in the dialog to the engines being "atomic". The Orbit Jet had a crew of two (pilot and copilot), but often had three or four others on board depending on the mission and destination. It often flew from Earth to inhabited moons of Jupiter
and Saturn
, which it seemed to reach in hours or days of time within the story.
Later in the series, another ship, the Silver Moon, was used, but it appeared almost identical to the Orbit Jet.
The Orbit Jet introduced many features that would become standard equipment on later TV and movie spaceships:
The first screenshot below shows the Orbit Jet in flight. The second shows pilot "Rocky" and copilot "Winky" at the controls. The side-by-side crew positions facing the viewscreen, with other workstations and sliding doors behind, presage part of the bridge layout of Star Trek's Enterprise
a decade later.
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
in the 1954 TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger is a syndicated science fiction television serial originally broadcast in 1954. The show lasted for only two seasons and, though syndicated sporadically, dropped into obscurity. But because it was recorded on film rather than being broadcast live as were most other TV...
. It strongly resembled a V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
in overall form, with a very prominent exhaust plume when flying, but had wings in addition to tailfins (even its radio callsign, "XV-2" relates it that seminal World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
design). There were references in the dialog to the engines being "atomic". The Orbit Jet had a crew of two (pilot and copilot), but often had three or four others on board depending on the mission and destination. It often flew from Earth to inhabited moons of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
and Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
, which it seemed to reach in hours or days of time within the story.
Later in the series, another ship, the Silver Moon, was used, but it appeared almost identical to the Orbit Jet.
The Orbit Jet introduced many features that would become standard equipment on later TV and movie spaceships:
- An electronic viewscreen (instead of a simple window or porthole)
- A fantastically complicated control panel (without an airplane-styled control wheel or stick)
- Power doors opening side-to-side as one approaches
- SubspaceHyperspace (science fiction)Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
radio (the "Astrophone") that allowed instantaneous communications over interplanetary distances - Artificial gravity as an explained feature and plot element
- A cloakingCloakingCloaking is a search engine optimization technique in which the content presented to the search engine spider is different from that presented to the user's browser. This is done by delivering content based on the IP addresses or the User-Agent HTTP header of the user requesting the page...
device that rendered the ship invisible.
The first screenshot below shows the Orbit Jet in flight. The second shows pilot "Rocky" and copilot "Winky" at the controls. The side-by-side crew positions facing the viewscreen, with other workstations and sliding doors behind, presage part of the bridge layout of Star Trek's Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
a decade later.