Blueprints of the “full scale mockup” of the Moonliner that used to stand at the Disneyworld Tomorrowland exhibit are being auctioned off. Fortunately, they have provided surprisingly high-rez scans of two 1954-vintage diagrams.
An interesting side note – old diagrams such as these, which I believe were reproduced via the diazotype method, can be turned *directly* into passable Real Old School Cyanotype Blueprints by simply inverting the colors:
As designed, the Moonliner is a fantastic bit of 1950’s optimism. A single-stage-to-the-moon vehicle? One technology might have made it possible: an atomic motor with a very high T/W and very little stray radiation leakage. It seems like such a mythical beast seemed possible into the early/mid 1960’s, when the realities of nuclear rocketry started to hit home.
The auction features a bunch of Disney & animation bits and pieces… including one production cel from “The Little Mermaid” that strikes me as possibly being NSFW. So, you know, don’t look at it, ya perv.