The Eagle Transporter: why space 1999’s birds still fly 50 years later
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- čas přidán 5. 02. 2024
- 🚀 Welcome to "The Decline and Fall of British Sci-Fi"! In today's episode, we're delving deep into the iconic Eagle Transporter from the classic series "Space: 1999." But this isn't just a standard review - we're exploring why the Eagle has such an enduring legacy among sci-fi fans and enthusiasts.
🛸 Join me on an interstellar journey as we dissect the Eagle Transporter's design, versatility, and cultural impact. From its sleek and functional appearance to its role as a symbol of humanity's exploration of space, we'll uncover what makes this fictional spacecraft so beloved by fans around the world.
🌌 As a special nod to the dedicated fans of the Eagle, I've opted to showcase images of their own meticulously crafted models instead of using stock images. A massive thank you to @HL10PM and @LeahRebeccaUK for providing the images of their Eagles and collections of "Space: 1999" models. Their devotion to the works of Gerry Anderson is truly inspirational, and I encourage viewers to check out their Twitter feeds for more incredible content.
🎥 But that's not all - we'll also dive into the Eagle's appearances in "Space: 1999," exploring its innovative features, cinematic presence, and lasting influence on science fiction. Whether you're a lifelong fan or new to the series, there's something for everyone to discover about this iconic spacecraft.
🎶 Music Credits:
[Intro "STARNET" by Paul "Steptoe" Riley
@paulsteptoeriley5855
/ @paulsteptoeriley5855
Cylinder Five" by Chris Zabriskie
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Join the conversation and let's celebrate the enduring legacy of the Eagle Transporter together! 🌠 - Zábava
The Eagle is so iconic for the simple reason that it looks believable. It looks like it was actually designed to work and operate as a practical space vehicle by actual engineers with a purpose in mind as opposed to just looking cool and futuristic.
Exactly
spot on.,
100% agree that the key is that it ''looks'' real. When I first saw it as a kid, I loved it entirely because I thought it seemed less like a fantasy space prop than something NASA might actually use. When I got a little older and saw 2001:ASO, I fell in love with the Discovery, Aries, and Orion - which were really inspired by potential real world design.
I was going to type Exactly but it's been done.
The other vehicles of Gerry, and Sylvia Anderson are stubby toy looking. Never thought they were cool looking. Suspect they were stubby so toys made of them would be shorter, and cheaper to make.
The reptilian/insect like cockpit was painted in the pattern of the Apollo Lunar Module, but was not reflecting the practical reason the LM look which was so it could be landed, and controlled by the astronauts standing up. That gave them a larger field of through smaller windows than from a seated position. Reduced weight of the windows, and further eliminated the weight of the seats.
I've said it many times, the Eagle looked like it could be in service in reality...everything looked functional, it was a damn good ship design.
Utterly iconic craft.
Except for the engine nozzles on the modular pods. They would never work.
I was 6 when this show debuted and I was given an Eagle for my 7th Birthday, as well as a UFO Interceptor, I cherished them throughout my early childhood.
I still have the Eagle One playset my grandmother gave me for Christmas back when I was a little kid. When I moved out of my parent's house... it was one of the first things I took with me to my new house. There was no way I wanted that going to my mom's church rummage sale.
I was a smart kid who read many hundreds of sci-fi novels, and a more than passing interest in design and engineering, and eventually went to school for mechanical engineering. I still to this day love the Eagle. In space, streamlining is a waste of resources. The eagle is built for space operations, it is modular and multi-functional for different purposes. This is exactly the metality engineers would take for a workhorse platform spaceship. Things in space are expensive so you need swiss army knives that can do lots of functions. The only flaw, and keep in mind that it is a TV show, it would need more reaction mass in reality, even with the hyper efficient propulsion system. The Hawk showed up minimally in one episode, but if you love the Eagle, you love the Hawk even more.
I did like the Hawk but they make the Eagle look like an underdog which makes me just love the Eagle even more 😂
You are so right!
That's why I like the Eagle, it's a sound, logical design.
Heinlein's my favorite author because he was an engineer, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, he never dumbed down a damn thing.
You are spot on mate still my most fav and iconic sci-fi ship. Love the Hawk for its military application it was built for war as was actually said in the show. The eagle was the all rounder work horse of earth space operations in that show.
This is why Space X should consider incorporating the design for a space truck to be taken to space by their Starship rocket of which I saw the launch and it was spectacular. Not to mention historical as its truly the first rocket designed to open the door to actual space colonization so I mean a real moon base Alpha or Mars Base Beta and so on.
The Space 1999 Eagle is just a fantastic design and struck a chord with us back in the mid-70s and reinforced by the brilliant Dinky Eagle that I played with as a child! Even though I collect mainly Star Wars I have a couple of Dinky Eagles and the gold plated one from Product Enterprise! It’s the best ship design ever!
It’s one of the few Gerry Anderson toys that I never had when I was a kid
I was 11 when Space 1999 debuted on TV. I became a huge fan. I loved those Eagle ships.
The Eagle and Liberator, brilliant.
The space 1999 ice lolly is sadly very missed in our house.
It's the practicality of the Eagles. They seem real from an engineering point of view, they just make sense. Not until the Babylon 5 Starfurys came along have I got that feeling of innate realism.
I loved the star fury !!!
A heartfelt look at why the Eagle Transporter is so popular with the fandom and is definitely because the design looks so practical and restrained and exist in the real world. Also interesting that the original design for the Millennium Falcon had a similar general layout to the Eagle Transporter, so George Lucas demanded a different design so there was no chance of confusion for moviegoer and rest is history. Thanks for using some of my photos. It's great to be part of a fandom that has such a positive vibe for the future (0 toxicity) and seeing the Dynetics ALPACA Lunar Lander being considered for the Artemis moon landing programme (as it really does look like a deconstructed Eagle Transporter) gives me hope for that Gerry Anderson that we all deserve🚀
I meant “that Gerry Anderson future that we all deserve🚀”
No Paul thank YOU for letting me use your awesome photos they are genuinely brilliant and you are right the worlds of Gerry Anderson are an inspiration to people the world over for a better technological future.
It's Believable, Practical, Visually Interesting from any angle!🤔😎
It’s definitely looks the part.
A great insight into the love of the 1999 Eagle!
I think everyone should have one parked in the driveway!
How cool would the world be if that were true
What I like about the Eagle is that it is a true spacecraft. It can lift off slowly from a planet, and fly into space, and when landing, it lands slowly, under power, all the way down, never having to deal with high speed atmospheric re entry. There have been many spacecraft like that in various science fiction movies and tv series. They don't need heat shields or parachutes.
Indeed, in one episode, you learn that it took 4 hours to clear a planet's atmosphere.
The program didn't age well, the Eagle sure did. Iconic
Like how you emphasised the way that the Eagle is practical and is a design that would work. The modular design so obviously has it's roots in the design of Thunderbird 2. Some of the drawings have lots of elements that were used on the Millenium Falcon @4:48 Even took the name from 'Falcon Shuttle'.
Not surprised that the designer, Brian Johnson, worked on 2001 a Space Odyssey (one of very few sci-fi films that addressed the problem of zero gravity). See alot of the practicality in design in the spacecraft like the Moonbus and Discovery 1 etc.
Not joking that the Eagle had a high loss rate. I watched Space 1999 as it came out way back in the '70's. It was aired If I remember on a Saturday or Sunday morning I remember being disappointed about Barry Morse's character. Prof. Victor Bergman 'disappearing' from series 2
dont know why they did that.
Great upload. Would like to go to one of these conventions they have sometime.
I think a new producer took over for series 2 and Barry Norse was a bit too expensive for him so the character was sidelined. Thanks for watching and I hope to see you at a convention one day.
I’m one of the Eagle addicts.. I met Brian Johnson in 2014 and got to tell him how the Eagle had influenced my life and got me obsessed with Technology which became my career. I still watch an Episode of Space 1999 every Sunday (which is when it used to be shown here in North West UK during the 70’s. It’s all a comfort blanket against the battlefield of life lol
This is awesome!!! I would love to get to meet him one day. You’ve given me the idea of watching some old science fiction on weds-fri evenings now.
Beautifully put together with passion - and it shows. Congratulations 😎👌👍
Thank you !!! Am glad you enjoyed it.
I was 11 in 1975, and it was and still is my favorite show.
I'm into model building and have made several of them.
my older brother got one of those as a model... well i kinda got my hands on it and loved it to bits... still one of the most awesome space ships produced
The reason that I love the Eagle so much is that it is not a hero ship. Hero ships are like main cast in many shows, they are protected by plot armour. But something like the Eagle, is just there. It is a workhorse, that does its job without any fanfare, and any time they face danger, there is a very real sense that they may not be making it back in one piece.
In Star Wars, how many times do we see the Millenium Falcon get the stuffing shot out of it, and yet it emerges more or less the same as it went in. In Star Trek Voyager, how much damage did Voyager take, and yet, always it was back up and running by the end of the episode. In Voyager's case this was made worse by the fact that Voyager is supposed to be stranded on the far side of the galaxy, away from supply, and yet they never really suffer from any negative effects of that.
If an Eagle gets damaged, the crew has to deal with that damage. If it crashes, the crew has to deal with that crash. Entire stories can revolve simply around the crew of the Eagle, as well as the rest of the people on Alpha as they try and rescue their stranded people.
One hero ship that I do like is the Liberator from Blake's 7. An alien vessel found and salvaged by Roj Blake and his band of escaped criminals use the Liberator to try and take down the Terran Federation, a totalitarian regime headquartered on Earth. One thing that Blake's 7 did that most show's won't is that they avoided plot armour. No one was safe. Even the Liberator itself, despite its advanced auto repair systems that could fix everything while the crew relaxed in soma induced states of contentment, was not given plot armour, being destroyed at the end of its third season.
Even its replacement ship, the Scorpio, a far less capable human designed ship only lasted a single season. As for the crew, starting with Oleg Gan, mid season 2, they started being killed off, or written out. Even Roj Blake, the titular character of the series, was written out at the end of season 2, along with their pilot Jenna Stannis. Blake's and Jenna's fate would be revealed in the series finale, when all of Blake's crew, and their replacements, were killed off. No happy everafter on this show.
No matter how much I like a show, once I realise that someone or something has plot armour, I start to lose interest, because the plot armour removes tension in what are supposed to be tense moments.
I absolutely love the Eagles and also the Mobil units with tracks in UFO. a practical design as well.
As a chil;d interested in Sci Fi I remember seeing a Dinkly model in a shop window and thinking WOW what a practicle , purposefull looking craft ( and fell in love with its design).
Then I got to see space 1999...and copuldnt get enough of them. Always wanted to see behind the rear door into the engine room! Think this is why I became a Naval Tiff!
I had a toy Eagle when i was a kid. Another hugely popular and insectoid craft from another series is the green, beetle-like, Thunderbird 2 which i also had as a toy, including the little yellow Thunderbird 4 shuttle.
Moonbase Alpha looks almost identical to the one seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I love the eagle. I have built (3) 22" size models and will still build a cargo version and (1) with a detailed cockpit and passenger pod with lighting! The eagle started my modeling hobby!
Its comments like this that makes CZcams for me, thanks for sharing it with me.
See my quick short of my shelf czcams.com/users/shortsqUpzuPBOsLY@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci
The Eagle was always one of my favourite sci-fi vehicles, to mirror the comments of others it’s always looked like something that would actually work, it looks real world.
I recently put all the old Dinky Eagles in my collection, having grown up with the white and the green. One of these days I will save up some pennies for a different version, although I do have a couple of the Eaglemoss releases as well. Just such a practical ship with the separable command module as an escape pod on top of the pods. Also appeared in Red Dwarf in a spaceship graveyard I believe. Plus they had to change the design of one Millennium Falcon because the original looked like an Eagle as per the one pictured here in fact. Also, as soon as you said insect I thought Lexx! Lovely video!
Oh yes I remember now in Red Dwarf 6 ep1 they are traversing the asteroid belt if remember correctly ?
Thanks for watching!!!
I loved this show as a kid. The eagles were a favourite, they looked so cool, yet they also seemed so practical & realistic with their modular construction. They never, ever struck me as remotely insect like though. I think they're reptilian, being a dead ringer for a bobtail skink: Tiliqua rugosa
I've always thought the Eagle could be a NASA design. It just looks like the next generation space ship after the shuttle. It's number two on my list of best looking space ships. Number one being the original series Enterprise. That design by Matt Jeffries looks like he tapped into the thoughts of a 23rd century starship Naval architect. She is a creature of space.
Btw: The C57D saucer from Forbidden Planet is modular as well. Not only did they un-ship the power plant to juice the radio gear they also removed the main armament to defend the camp.
That Enterprise and the D are timeless and possibly my favourite looking spacecraft of all time!!!!
That’s an interesting thought about the c57d but it does make perfect sense now you say it.
An ex-girlfriend of mine is an avid fan of FUTURAMA. In an episode of which it is explained that lots of science fiction programmes (including STAR TREK) were dumped on an alien planet. I pointed out to her that the cartoon spaceship dropping the videos was an EAGLE Transporter from Space: 1999 (a programme that my ex-girlfriend had never heard of at that point in time).
My fave Dinky toys as a kid growing up were the UFO Interceptor and the armoured missile launcher closely followed by the normal Eagle and the cargo Eagle. I played with those things for years!!
I’d still be playing with them now !!!
Great analysis, absolutely nailed it. I'm 54 and I grew up watching reruns of Star Trek on BBC in the 70's then Space 1999 then Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Blake's 7. Didn't see 2001 A Space Odyssey until it got its British TV premiere on BBC1 New Years Day back in '82. As a kid when Space 1999 aired, I would make Lego versions (or nearest I could get to the shape) and attach fishing line and 'fly' them. These ships are our culture and our imaginary escapism from a world where our imaginations wildly exceed our actual abilities to build them for real.
It's actually a brilliant design. Having played with the toy great fun was had popping off the centre module.
The white stars from B5 very much have an eagle feel.
UFO = best music
1999 = best space craft
It was the sheer versatility and practically of it that always got me; and it just looks cool.
Something very much like it will be an absolute necessity on Luna as activity there actually starts taking place.
I don’t think moonbase could manufacture new Eagles. Rather, everything about the Eagle was modular, which is very realistic, so the hangar would have had components and crew would assemble the Eagle for the mission ordered by the commander for that mission.
The Eagle still gives me goosebumps when I see it land or takeoff. I always called it "the tugboat of space" when ranting to my friends about the greatest spaceships ever.
As a boy I liked that show and I loved the transporters.
I’d forgotten about them.
Great video.
Thank you very much for watching !!!
When designing a tool, vehicle or even clothing I believe perception of function equals familiarity, comfort and ultimately success. This link to the familiar is one reason why mankind mimics nature in many creations. I love how practical the Eagle is with the industrial/insect aesthetic, vectoring thrusters and different interchangeable modules you mentioned. You don't have to be an aerospace engineer to appreciate the function of the craft, it's on full display as an intensely solid design.
Many designs fail by becoming too abstract and defying the familiar. Of course, when the form of function is obscured an object becomes mysterious and alien. This can be fun to dabble with if that is your intention too!
The Eagle's recovery module has one additional superpower: you can land, disconnect the module and fly off, leaving the module on that location. It's not dependent on the Eagle staying attached to be able to operate.
We see this in "Earthbound."
I'd like to see SpaceX or someone build a modular space tug, something made to stay in zero-G environments. And I can't help but expect that it would look a bit like the Eagle. It's just so practical.
RE: On the Initial Question, Why Does the Eagle Get Love?; A: Speaking as a person who had only a glimpse at the series "Space: 1999" the clincher came with the Space Flight Simulation game "Orbiter" which, over the years, has maintained a fleet of spaceships to use with the sim. One of them is called the "Shuttle-A" and it takes its "form-factor" directly from the Eagle. Modifications to Orbiter have added player-made models, the whole 9 yards.
I like the way that style of ship handles in Lunar gravity. I mean, I *really* like it. The Length of the ship makes it "heavy" on the Pitch axis, otherwise it Rolls really well, which makes changing direction of travel easier when at suborbital or orbital velocities. Geeks and Nerds all agree... Good Design.
See also: Orbiter 2016 Space Flight Simulator (I believe the primary website is based out of the UK!)
NIce take. I'm 52, and I remember seeing Space 1999 not long after it was first released on UK TV. To this day, it, and Blake's 7 remain firm favourites - there's something about those two productions that is somehow unreplicable. Anyway, 'Whispering Jack Grealish' (as I have dubbed thee), I just subscribed, so good for you. ;-)
I’ve got such a soft spot for both of those programs. Thanks for watching and subscribing!!!
Hello from Canada, I still love the Eagle even after all the other sci fi I've enjoyed. It just looks simple and beautiful
Hello from the uk !!!, you are right even growing up on a diet of science fiction the eagles really do stand out.
I always assumed it was called the Eagle to reference the Eagle lunar lander from Apollo 11, and that many of the building blocks from the original were carried over, as if NASA kept designing iterations into the future.
It's interesting to me that you mention the Thunderbirds... because Thunderbird 2 has always been my favorite ship from that show too... and it's for the same reason the Space:1999 Eagle is one of my favorite sci-fi space ships. It had a modular capability to it that would allow it to be a multi-purpose vehicle. The Eagles were the "swiss army knife" of sci-fi vehicles.
I also think it's interesting that you mentioned the Runabouts from DS9. I hadn't thought about whether the Runabout designers might've taken some inspiration from the Eagle... but it would make sense if it did.
Ronald D Moore seems to be a fan of space 1999 so am guessing he’s responsible for that one.
I love the insect look. I also thought the interchange of the center modules was so smart.
Red Dwarf's Starbug: Am I a joke to you?
Don’t forget the space bomber variant.
Are you thinking of the Hawk?
@@ExcelsiorsDomain No, in the first episode Moonbase gets attacked by other humans (not really) and the main attacking enemy ship is an Eagle-like bomber ship. Tony pulls off a really cool move in his Eagle.
I watched the first episode when it came out on tv, just imagine if the moon approached Earth instead of leaving it's orbit
Red Dwarf's Starbug wouldn't exist without it, same crash rate as well.
Being of a age that remembered watching space 1999 as a kid I just loved the Eagle probably because it looked realistic that space flight would look in 25 years but alas it went pear shaped and it's only the past few years it looks a possibility but for a realistic space 2099.
It's ironic that such a cool realistic looking spaceship appeared in a show that had the most absurdly unrealistic premise.
Awesome video
Thanks for watching !!!
the reason space 1999 was and still is considered great is not because of the stories but due to eagle and other vehicles actually doing things that what in real life vehicles would do.
The Eagle is a brilliant design. I think it holds up fifty years later because it seems so incredibly practical and realistic.
First, the overall modular approach was taken from the real lunar landing system of the Apollo program. Each Apollo spacecraft consisted of a command module, a service module, and a two-stage lunar module. By expanding that concept to having a reusable standardized command module and service module that could accept multiple standardized mission modules, the design maintained continuity with the real past.
Bonus: The truss system that connected the modules is very similar to the truss system that would be used more than twenty years later on the International Space Station.
Second, the shapes and details were practical:
* The rounded shape of the command module evoked the capsule shapes of real US spacecraft, the spherical shapes of real Soviet spacecraft, and the curved shapes of the Space Shuttle Orbiter which was then in development.
* The faceted shape of the leg modules evoked the faceted shapes of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and many real-life satelites.
* The landing legs evoked the Apollo LM (though the Eagle's feet were upturned crosses and the LM's were dishes)
* The reaction control thrusters on the ends of the leg modules evoked the thruster packs on the sides of the Apollo SM and LM and the RCS nozzles of the Space Shuttle Orbiter
* The main engine bells of the service module evoked the Saturn V rockets used to launch the Apollo spacecraft
* The vertical lifting thrusters evoked the descent engine of the Apollo LM
* The exposed fuel tanks on the service module evoked the exposed tanks on the Saturn 1B rocket that launched several of the early Apollo flights (the ones that stayed in Earth orbit and didn't go to the moon)
* The overall black and white color scheme evoked the Apollo spacecraft (especially the Saturn V rocket that launched the lunar missions), and the Space Shuttle Orbiter then in development
Lastly, the configuration of the command and service modules, connected by a truss system that can accept standardized container-like mission modules or operate with no mission module, also borrows heavily from the design philosophy of the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, one of the coolest and weirdest helicopters ever made. Look it up on Wikipedia, its basically a helicopter version of the Eagle.
The guys who designed the Eagle are simply geniuses.
Elon Musk - give us an Eagle now!
4:44 The "Falcon" shuttle cockpit bears a strong resemblance to the Millenium Falcon's cockpit....?
That is a node to the 1st design for the pirate ship/Millenium falcon that was modified to become the Tantive IV / Blockade runner.
Since Space 1999 aired 1st GL had to came up with a nex design : "the hamburger with the olive on the side".
I had all the Eagle toys. A giant plastic eagle with a crane in the center compartment to raise things off the ground. It was really big, like 3 and half feet long.I can't remember if it had action figures.. I think it did because all the compartments opened. I also had a die-cast metal eagle with shock absorbing landing gear, and the center or passenger compartment separated and had its own legs to rest on. I loved the eagle!
When Sternbach and Martin (re)designed Star Trek's Runabout, they used the _Eagle_ as one of their inspirations. That's why Runabouts have a very modular multi-purpose multi-configuration design.
It's a shame that the one modular piece shown on the _Eagle_ - the main "cargo" module in the center - was the one modular piece that we never saw changed for anything else on Runabouts.
I really like the idea of special modules designed for the dominion war like a troop transport or something.
The design is just perfectly balanced and it has an appeal that is also in some way uncanny. The first time we see it, we feel we have always known it. I watched S1999 in its first transmissions in 1975-76. In the STV/Grampian region it was shown on Saturday mornings after the transmitter information and (Cosgrave and Hall's "The Magic Ball" dubbed in Gaelic, without subtitles!). It has haunted my dreams my whole life...
The Eagle is a spaceship that could be a real one that we could actualy realy build.
So i still Love it and Hope one day WE make the move to Just build it ;)
Right on! Eagles are the most beautiful spaceships ever. Both visually stunning and realistic. Brian Johnson himself wasn't merely just a FX guy and model maker, he was also an engineer. And it clearly shows by his designs! It's funny but I read some fanmail that was published in the old magazine Starlog and there was one person who actually complained about these fine ships! This guy thought they had too much eagle footage! Crazy, eh? But that's the only complaint I've ever seen. They spent good money on these models so why shouldn't they use them... a lot!? But a good point was said here. These vehicles are tools. Definitely sets them apart from your usual variety of spaceship. Anyway, there's no question about the love these awesome ships get. The continual manufacturing of the models and the collectors of them proves this!
Absolutely one of the most believable concepts for a space vehicle intended to be used in an earth/moon theater of operation. I agree with you! We need a billionaire to explore the viability of making the Eagle concept a reality. People have been building their own R2 units for decades now. Why shouldn't we explore the versatility of this pretty decent design for a utilitarian spaceship? This is life imitating art, and I'm all for it (and I can't wait for the licensing to get worked out on the commercial production of the R2's 😂). 11:54 Yeah, it really doesn't seem suited for long term atmospheric flight. There doesn't seem to be room for fuel reserves. It would need quite a bit to overcome earth gravity and atmospheric drag. But that really isn't the role of the Eagles, is it?
Dreamchaser or crew dragon at the front, superheavy launching modules. What a way to build Moonbase 1!
Amazing that 50 yrs later there are more licensed EAGLES being produced than ever before.
I old DINKY Die Cast models, plastic kit models, Product Enterprise versions. From tiny ones all the way up to 23" Giant Laboratory Eagle version and a 19" Mark IX Hawk (they should have based some of these on the Moon before 1999-but were only seen as projections by ALIENS who pulled them from the Alphans minds).
STAR WARS and STAR TREK fans by and large hate the most recent incarnations of the films and TV programs and sales of those have cratered. But the EAGLE is more popular than ever - for a 2 Season/Series 50 years ago - that is amazing.
I loved my Eagle I had as a kid
The Eagle looks like something NASA would of built. Its so simple yet brilliant. It design is so practical you can see it being a real ship. Its as good as the designs in 2001 a space odyssey...
the Eagle should make it into Star Citizen
That would be awesome!!!
To steal the term being used to describe Starfield, the Eagle is actually the best example of near-future NASA Punk you’ll possibly ever find.
I had never heard of NASA punk until this but I tell you what you are both 100% correct and responsible for the the phrase NASA punk becoming a thing on this channel.
@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsciI saw the show during its original TV run here in the States. (Why, yes, I am old.)
I instantly fell in love with the Eagle, and had one of the large model playsets when I was probably nine years old.
I remember the Eagle, and LEGO Space sets of the time, both having that functional and practical look and feel.
I’d love to see a LEGO Ideas set of the Eagle.
I’m part of the repeat generation and I really wish I was able to watch these shows on their first airing so I do envy you.
It’s not an official kit but I did spot a “Lego” eagle on Ali Express.
the eagle and the starfury look like they would actually work
I hope that Space X incorporates the Eagle Design for a space truck and shuttle for their Starship rocket.
I remember vividly watching "Mondbasis Alpha 1" as it was called here overseas. And even being a little toddler I thought "these are boring spacecraft. And that is right so.". Even then I knew that people working in space do absolutely not want exciting machinery. They want machines that are reliable and easy to repair, because otherwise people die, and not some flashy junk that barely ever works but "can do the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs". That is for fairy tales.
I vaguely remember one episode in which the Moon base was being attacked by aliens, and four "War Eagles" were launched to oppose them. One gets promptly blown up by the aliens, and the other three, obviously outmatched, are ordered to withdraw. I don't remember them looking wildly different than the ordinary Eagles. I assumed that instead of a transport or work module, they were supposed to have some sort of weapons module, but I don't remember any explanation or details about what the weapons might have been. Since the Moon base was originally, first and foremost, a scientific mission, it would seem odd that there would been a weapons module. Who would be a potential enemy, before the Moon was blown away from the Earth to distant places?
So in universe Space 1999 is a sequel to UFO so at a guess possibly moonbase would need defences if the Aliens from ufo started their attacks again an armed eagle would be useful, or perhaps like most of the weapons in red dwarf the eagles weapons are adapted from mining tools.
I do love SPACE 1999.
The Eagle Transporter is an iconic space vehicle, absolutely brilliant design and after 50 years is still one of the great spacecraft……
Gerry Anderson a complete maverick……..
Brian Johnstone one of the all time greats …..
Couldn't agree more!
One thing that bugs me about the Eagle .... the "passenger pod" has take off nozzles on it's underside ... but where are the engines?? .. People can get to the cockpit to the pod and vice versa pretty easily ... Doesn't appear there are any engines in the pod .. I can only surmise they somehow operate similar to the Harrier ... drawing power from the main engines via ducts or pipes under the floor or the pod ...
Also the takeoff nozzels behind the cockpit / In front of the main engines ... again where are the engines for those ... I can only surmise that there is two small engines behind the cockpit with a corridor between them for access to the pod ... .
These are very good points well spotted !!!!
It has the practical bits - the lunar lander elements in the legs, the directional thrusters, the modules. But where you see insectoid, I see a space puppy. The head, the shoulders and hips, the tail, and even the eyes. At once realistic and the animal version of anthropomorphic.
Great now I can’t unsee the space puppy 🤣 thanks for watching!!!
It has Gemini capsule windows and Apollo RCS thrusters, giving it credit with folks used to seeing NASA hardware. This SCI-Fi ship floats instead of flies, but it harks back to the real "past".
I have multiple models of the Eagle including the large Product Enterprise models , all the Sixteen -12 Eagles and the Launch Pad, the Konami minis, Airfix kits of the Eagle and Hawk. And of course the Dinkey toys. I have a half dozen all in fairly beat up condition which i am slowly cleaning up and repainting to look more authentic.
And I 100% agree. The Eagle looks oike a genuinely functional Earth/Moon transport. It starts to loose credibility when they introduce the anti-gravity system that lets an Eagle accelerate to 1/4 lightspeed (or whatever, i can't quite recall the speed).
Worth noting that NASA also accepted Babylon 5s Starfury fighter as being entirely practical for manoeuvring in space. In fact i think they tested a model in the cargo bay of the shuttle. I could be wrong.
Love the Eagle ~ and the Hawk. Why? Because they look believably workable ~ apart from when they suddenly became atmosphere capable. Yes, with sufficient power you can make a brick fly, but it was never explained to my satisfaction how the Eagle could fly in an atmosphere. No anti-grav facility that I’m aware of ~ I’m open to persuasion though.
The Eagle is a sensible transport vehicle for a moon based economy. A moon truck.
Awesome video as always bro. I think I commented on the top 10 list you made, I never actually watched the show this ship was in! I love a good spaceship model though!
Thank you @VCMR you legend!!!
I grew up with Stingray, Thunderbirds and of course I loved Captain Scarlet, UFO and Space 1999
I would have loved to have been part of that first generation to experience all those great shows, sadly though I am part of the repeat generation. 😔
You have an outstanding amazing narrative voice 🙂 I own the original Eagle 3, 44" from season 2. Come to Canada and let's have an interview 🙂 BTW - I am an expert on the Eagle as well.
The original shooting model ? That’s incredible!!!
Oh man, the wife would be out the door!
yes you see it in 90% of season 2@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci
Wow that is AMAZING!!! How do you feel about being my first interviewee on the channel ? @darrenpeters4647
What I like about the Eagle Transporter is realistic design, NASA should've built something close to this by now.
Compare the Eagle to what is needed in reality to get something, even as small as a satellite into orbit and you will understand that unless there is some incredible leap in fuel and engine technology, it is entirely impractical and would never get into orbit.
Yeah it looks nice and seems 'realistic' but physics trumps the imagination of sci-fi model makers every time.
@@tomstamford6837I don't see an Eagle actually taking off or landing on Earth, just shuttling back and forth between the moon and a space station.
@@ninjabearpress2574 You have a point there. The ascent stage of the Apollo LM did have one relatively small motor to get into lunar orbit for rendezvous.
It's a shame that current fuels are what limits space travel and the need to have such large quantities or things like Eagles could be possible.
Building an Eagle spacecraft, as depicted in the 1975 TV series "Space: 1999," would be a highly complex and ambitious endeavor, but let's break down some key considerations and the feasibility of each aspect:
### 1. **Design and Structure**
- **Feasibility**: Modern materials and engineering techniques could theoretically replicate the structural design of the Eagle. Lightweight, high-strength materials like carbon composites and titanium alloys could be used for the frame and exterior.
- **Challenges**: The unique modular design and retractable landing gear would require advanced mechanical engineering to ensure stability and functionality.
### 2. **Propulsion System**
- **Feasibility**: Current rocket technology (chemical propulsion) could provide the necessary thrust for launch and space maneuvers. However, the Eagle's VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) capability and its apparent sustained hovering would be challenging with today's technology.
- **Challenges**: Developing a practical and efficient VTOL system for space use would require significant advancements, possibly in electric propulsion or advanced chemical thrusters.
### 3. **Life Support Systems**
- **Feasibility**: Current life support systems used in the International Space Station (ISS) could be adapted. These include air recycling, water purification, and temperature regulation systems.
- **Challenges**: Ensuring these systems are compact and robust enough for a spacecraft the size of the Eagle.
### 4. **Navigation and Control**
- **Feasibility**: Modern avionics and computer systems could handle the navigation and control of the Eagle, incorporating technologies from current spacecraft and drones.
- **Challenges**: Integrating these systems into a user-friendly interface that aligns with the show's depiction.
### 5. **Energy and Power Systems**
- **Feasibility**: Solar panels and batteries could provide power for onboard systems. Advanced nuclear reactors could theoretically offer more sustained power, though they come with significant safety and regulatory challenges.
- **Challenges**: Balancing the power requirements with available technology and ensuring safety and reliability.
### 6. **Crew Accommodations and Interior**
- **Feasibility**: Modern spacecraft design focuses on maximizing space and efficiency, which could be applied to the Eagle's interior to provide a functional and comfortable environment for the crew.
- **Challenges**: Ensuring sufficient space and amenities while maintaining the structural integrity and weight constraints.
### Conclusion
While it's theoretically possible to construct a spacecraft inspired by the Eagle, the project would require overcoming significant engineering, technological, and financial challenges. Current technology could replicate some aspects, but others, particularly the VTOL capabilities and compact yet efficient systems, would need substantial advancements. The endeavor would likely be a multi-billion-dollar project, potentially involving collaboration between aerospace companies, space agencies, and innovative engineering teams.
Thank you for so comprehensively explaining this !!!
@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci U R Welcome ..
I had an original one as a kid. Wish I`d kept it
I often envy your generation because you got to see all these great shows on their first run !!! I’m sadly from the repeat generation who only got to see them in the 90’s
I loved watching your enthusiasm and depth of appreciation. I am glad that there are younger generations still enjoying these shows up until this day. Strange thing is all these decades later I am learning more about them now than I did way back. You have a better knowledge than I did easily. My daughter takes the piss when I say things like, Well, blah blah blah was better in my day. Often its true. @@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci
I made my kids watch E.T for the first time this weekend and I had a mutiny on my hands so trust me I hear you.
@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci Nice one. Keep drilling it into them 😂 My 27 year old is into all things retro. Can't get enough of it. Speaks volumes eh
I was never a fan of Space 1999's stories.. Too many cerebral "it never really happened" stories.. BUT.. Space 1999's tech in every department was first rate.. The communicators are analogous of smart phones, the guns a good approximation of tazers. The space suits were spot on, and the base design also had a very practical feel to it.
I hated that way of storytelling it’s like they would write themselves into a corner then run out of imagination. It’s honestly the one thing I dislike about space 1999
My cousins had the large size Eagle 1 playset that worked with the large figures.
I still look for it when I go to their parents house, now and then, even though I know it must have been tossed or given away decades ago.
DOes anyone know if the Mark Lenon customization page was ever mirrored anywhere? Original site is long gone
Have you tried the way back machine ?
I never recalled seening the engines seperate from the framework that supports the command module and the passenger module. I believe the engines are firmly part of the framework and are not modules that can be swapped out.
The key to S1999 is its Anglo-Italian DNA. This partly explains the high design content and the Giallo elements in the direction. There is a debt to Hammer, also.
On reflection you are 100% correct it is actually a really stylish show !!! and I don’t think there is a more stylish people on earth than the Italians so this really was a good match (although I do believe the costume worn on moonbase were by an Austrian designer)
@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci Yes, Rudi Gernreich. Bizarrely, so many of these styles from the Joe Columbo seating to the Bertoia chairs were revived in the late 90s but as part of a complex aesthetic that was about a nostalgia for a future than never actually happened. The signature look of Apple products in the 2000s also owes a debt to Moonbase Alpha. I always feel too. Anyway, if you watch a Dario Argento movie from the early 1970s you will see much that is familiar in the set design and direction.
I really do like that style though vaguely more clockwork orange than 2001.
Hammer had something to do with "Moon Zero Two" didn`t they. Some aspects of that ended up in UFO and Space 1999.
@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci There is a big debt to Kubrick too, including all those endless white corridors. It all goes to make S1999 a very interesting mix. The visual design of S1999 is "next level" though. They had a Richard Sapper "Tizio" lamp on Koenig's desk in what must have only been its first or second year of production. That looks modern, not even retro-futurist, even now. Tiny details: Elizabeth Fritsch ceramics, with "1980s style" geometric motifs. These would have been strikingly discordant and avant-garde objects in 1974-5 so it was all done with a brilliant eye.
First time on hearing about UFO Morphing into Space 1999 ,can well believe it ,same vibe and actors,? Well a handful at least .
I always imagine how cool it would be if the crew of space 1999 were to discover the moon base from ufo.
It's beautiful is why
The Eagle's horizontal landing ability and interchangeable modules was a an extremely functional design. If Elon was the genius most think he is, he would copy the Eagle, The transport ships in "Space: Above and Beyond" had modules they would drop on a planet and return to the orbiting ships.
You'll ,like this story.. growing up my Dad's best friend was a TV Cameraman that worked for the BBC and his name was Brian Johnson, my parents told me he was the same Brian Johnson that worked on Space 1999.. for years I believed this to be true saw his name on Aliens as Post Production Special Effects Cameraman.. I never questioned what my parents told me until one day uncle Brian died... and Yet THE Brian Johnson was still doing interviews about his work for Gerry Anderson.... parents can be odd.
That’s an awesome story!!! and utterly believable as parents would do things like that back in the day my father for instance had my sister and myself believing that the man banging the gong at the start of all the Rank films was our granddad 😂
i keep getting tempted to try and build one in Starfield
That would be awesome!!!
I had an eagle as a kid and wish I still did.
I'm pretty sure that you can get one 3D printed. I have at least ten different ones in different scale.
Excellent. No argument from me!
Thanks for watching and commenting it really helps the channel.
The Eagle was the Ford Transit of space. You needed a job done? It could do it.
A real Eagle needs to be made.
czcams.com/video/gtQ5Vkp17UY/video.html
There is an Upcoming documentary that is entirely on the subject of the Space 1999 eagle! 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍👍
In regards to the grid work upon entry into a planets atmosphere - in the original and new technical manuals issued by Gerry Anderson and his now his son indicate entry is controlled implicitly by Anti-Gravity stabilizers located on the 4 Landing Gear/Fuel Pods powered by the on board modular nuclear reactor that also powers the 4 main engines in the rear. These days small modular nuclear reactors are on the drawing boards for Earth based uses now and probably into the future to power orbital stations and lunar bases. Russia has even said to build a joint Moon base with China they would need small nuclear reactors to provide reliable power. Space: 1999 was ahead of its time and was just off by 100 years.
Was there one space 1999 eagles showed up in epslon 9 space in star trek tmp??
This may be ave already been pointed out....but the transport vehicle in that us show V....is a total rip off of the eagle.....and I know I amazing story about the radio active drums that a version of the eagle carried about....if your interested. Great show... glad I found the channel.
Now you have definitely peaked my interest please do tell ???
@@thedeclineandfallofbritishsci .....so somewhere in an English back garden, the home owner was horrified to find a small orange or yellow cannister with a radio active sticker on it....he calls the cops who call the mod who evacuate the whole neighbourhood....only to find it a plastic part of the dinky Toys fantastic waste disposal eagle. Cool a .
🤣🤣🤣 that’s AWESOME!!! and utterly hilarious 🤣 🤣🤣
It's on tinter web somewhere.....I think I saw the item on John cravens news round. Many moons ago
Could ave been Nationwide now I think back