Lost Media: Marvel's Young Astronaut Comic

[@ryanspengler4877]

I was a "member" of the Young Astronauts in first grade as this promotion was winding down. We built Estes model rockets and ate space ice cream. My membership card is still around here somewhere... 🚀 👨‍🚀

[@tmhugin8312]

Hi Chris! I'm the one who mailed you the little I knew about this story. Glad you did this episode and it's amazing how fast you found all that material and information. Thanks for doing it, it was an interesting topic that I remembered when I bought the first issue of Longshot a few days ago.

[@matthewbecker7389]

Hey there! First of all, thanks for planting the seeds for this episode... Fun stuff! Second though, is this a new series of Longshot you picked up the first issue to? I heard that Anne Nocenti was maybe doing a follow up to what is one of my top three favourite limited series, but I figured it would be a good while before we saw such a thing happen. Anyway, thanks again... Hope you have a great day!

[@tmhugin8312]

@@matthewbecker7389 Hi! It's not from a new series, the one I picked up was from the original series, the first issue. And in the back of the issue it was the ad for the Young Astronaut Council, it's from 1985. I did read the other day that they were planning on doing a new series with Ann and Art Adams, but from what I've read they're not going to make it. I think the most recent stuff about Longshot was in an issue of X-Men Legends, wrote by Ann, but Art Adams wasn't in it, can't remember the artist... I haven't read that issue but I found an article about it a few months ago.

[@brianrvd]

The Young Astronauts program still existed without the cartoon. I have a teacher's binder full of lesson plans. McDonald's did another run of different toys in 1991. Monogram had a full line of Young Astronauts branded model kits. Skilcraft and had a line of Young Astronauts branded science kits (crystal radio kit, fiber optics kit, planetarium, gyroscope, weather station). Tasco made several microscope kits. I also have other random merch like patches, stickers, digital watch, commemorative coins, hat, t-shirt, space shuttle shaped piggy bank, lunchbox, board game, coloring books, one of those aerosol Pepsi cans shown in the video, regular Pepsi cans with YA logos, an astronaut Cabbage Patch Kid, an Estes flying model rocket kit, and probably more I forgot.

[@richardcoleman3425]

I remember those "Reach for the stars" ads in the comics - who knew there was so much going on in the background? Brilliant video! And I hope you've had a great week, Chris. Happy Birthday! :)

[@GodLovesComics]

I was also in school when they showed the Challenger launch live in class. "Depressing" is one word for it. I remember the class just sitting in shocked silence trying to comprehend what just happened. I also remember the news people and experts on TV speculating about whether the crew might have survived and thinking, even as a little kid, that they were completely delusional.

[@JakobNoone]

Me too. But we wanted that to be possible. Wanted it to be true.

[@orenkiyama6860]

We were in the middle of a lesson, when a teacher burst in our class and announced that the Challenger had exploded. Every teacher was scrounging for a television to take to their classroom, in the event one was not available classes would double up. Needless to say we were glued to the television pretty much for the rest of the school day.

[@jeffeppenbach]

We were lined up to go to somewhere, when the principal came in to tell us.

[@mikeydeloa7348]

I was in high school. In the hallway about to go into art class, I think I was in 10th grade. I heard a random student say to someone near me that the principal said that the challenger just blew up and that he would make an announcement. He did come on over the intercom shortly after class started. I was into nasa and anything space related at that the in my life. I wanted to be an astronaut since I was in diapers. But had no plans to go into the military and was terrible with science and math. That disaster was not the first for me in that I always read about space as a kid and was pretty familiar with the Apollo disaster that happened a year or two before Armstrong went to the moon.

[@GodLovesComics]

@@mikeydeloa7348 I think the difference was that The Challenger was televised live on TV and was thus probably a little more stunning than Apollo just because there wasn't the filter of having it recounted to the public by broadcasters. I may be wrong about that. Both tragedies were horrifying. It was probably for the best that you were terrible in math and science. I can certainly relate because so was I.

[@Kierste_n]

I'm so glad you did this. While I wasn't around for this, I bet you there's adults out there CONVINCED they saw that one episode and no one remembers it or believes them

[@WarriorBoy]

I wasn't around for it either, but I agree that's some major Mandela Effect fuel right there

[@mattdawg83686]

I remember the adverts for The Young Astronauts cartoon, and had no idea what happened to the show or that an episode had even aired. This was so interesting to learn about!

[@randyarvello4918]

Thank you Chris, I'd ran out of internet.

[@garymckay2929]

The first comment and the most iconic that’ll ever be commented under this video

[@garymckay2929]

And I ran out of internet too so thanks Chris from both of us

[@metawarp7446]

We can count on him

[@r0kus]

300 million channels, and nothing on! 😉

[@nickparker5200]

Nice one lol

[@andersonic]

My high school English teacher was a finalist for the Challenger flight, so I certainly remember the disaster. But honestly I think we needed continued positivity about space travel. Not that a cartoon would have led us to Starfleet but space science and exploration elicits a particular love and wonder. On top of the human souls the two lost space shuttles were like family members. But that doesn't mean you turn away.

[@nietzschesshadow-thebook6780]

I just want to thank you for this channel. I've been doing research for years on comics for this book I'm writing and the stories you tell are pure gold. Please keep up the good work, and happy birthday!

[@Kierste_n]

So Marion Stokes was always recording TV, during this time period. If that lost episode is anywhere I wonder if it would be in that collection.

[@r0kus]

Thanks for the interesting look into the past. BTW, I don't mind an occasional short episode. I hope you don't feel guilty for doing so.

[@PDComicBookNetwork]

Because of a teacher who frequently used words in the wrong context, the Challenger disaster wasn't simply tragic, but briefly terrifying. She enters the library in tears, and declares, "The missile blew up over the ocean." Not "rocket" or "shuttle." She said "missile." Out of context, in the Cold War 80s.

[@juniorjames7076]

I was in 7th grade math class when our principal came in to tell us. I'm not even sure which classroom was watching it live, but some class was. They rolled in our television on wheels to watch some of the news footage, than they sent us home early, right before lunchtime.

[@Oddlogical]

I like these episodes on rare and/or obscure comic projects! I remember the "Reach for the Stars" ads. I never knew what that was about until now! Thanks, Chris!

[@holyterror]

Hi Chris. I shared your video with June Brigman herself,who was grateful, as she wasn't aware of the lawsuit. Very informative. Keep it up.

[@markgirard5871]

I grew up in that era and consider myself pretty well versed in lost media of the 80s for sure and this is news to me. Very impressive deep dive for sure.

[@pinnipes]

"the cartoon aired only once, on saturday, january 25th, 1986" this is when i just started saying "oh no" repeatedly. amazing video as usual

[@lo1bo2]

I wonder if some middle aged person just happened to tape that episode as a kid, with no clue how rare it is now.

[@910dohead]

It has happened. A buddy of mine happened to have recorded the Robo Force: Revenge of Nazgar cartoon special that only aired once. We were digitizing his childhood videos when I came across it and realized just how rare it was. I uploaded it to KZbin and select bittorrent sites but it was taken down by copyright. Someone else who grabbed it via the torrent uploaded it as well but were able to keep it on KZbin. Anyways, I went to a convention that year where the Warner Archive team had a booth and I got to talking to them about the Ruby Spears catalog and asked them if they would release the special to DVD. A year or two later, it showed up as a special feature on one of their Challenge of the Go-Bots series sets. Pretty cool that I had a hand in that, be it very minor but it is a story to tell to anyone who cares to want to listen to it. Same could hold true for The Young Astrounauts? btw, I had talked to one of the guys responsible for the Astro Minute segments thru email. He told me some really interesting facts about the show. Anyways, I had planned to include parts of the conversation as reference on the Lost Media wiki but the guy asked me if I wouldn't and I complied. However, there were some interesting tidits I learned from that conversation. I also was able to confirm that the pilot did in fact air few days prior on CBS, so it could still be on a VHS tape sitting in a box somewhere?

[@blackphoenix77]

That Captain America ad at 1:55 really takes me back, man. It was on the back covers of the earliest comics I ever owned in the 1980s.

[@dreamlandnightmare]

Wow, I haven't heard about this from any of the big lost media KZbinrs.

[@MarkLipka]

*Happy birthday, Chris!*

[@Wild4Hockey]

Excellent “FunSize” episode. Good job researching a very deep cut. Love the Saturday Morning Cartoons ads. Looking forward to the episode you do on those! Good job, Chris!

[@allstarsteinman1]

Happy late birthday! Hope you had a great week! Thanks for the episode!

[@jdespirito]

Those two ads in Marvel comics were always a mystery to me, thanks for the info!

[@PeculiarNotions]

Happy Birthday. Thanks for taking time to still put up something fun.

[@traviscreason1911]

Happy Birthday Chris! Great “snack size” episode! Loved your short analysis, but my GOSH… the whole generation of us that watched the Challenger Shuttle in school… Heavy😞!

[@frankchavez519]

I actually had one of those Happy Meal toys. It was some kind of Mars lander or something. It was just a piece of allow plastic with a generally spaceship shape.

[@simonletch9315]

No luck with the comic, but dialogue from the cartoon has been found. Whole bunch of audio reels from Marvel shows got sold off, and the winner of a whole of YA reels sent the digital files. On my channel is the full dialogue for the episode "Ghost Ship".

[@RafaelThorazines]

Happy Birthday Chris!!! Take your time off and get some rest, these bite-size videos are just as good imo

[@ChicaneryBear]

Happy birthday Chris! We love you!

[@GhostBusters-wb4un]

At least Marvel didn’t intentionally Sue a nonprofit organization. They were just defending themselves.

[@tablecatgames6252]

Oh dang, I've seen that Captain America looking at the stars ad so many times and I never really thought about it.

[@russellharrell2747]

I didn’t see the Challenger explode live because I was on the bus at the time, but I saw it plenty on TV as I watched the news every night during the investigations into the cause. My birthday was the same week and I had just got my first real telescope. I was still into space after that and even today, and still went to Space Camp three years later.

[@oh_poor_damaged_mepatrick1529]

I watched it blow up too but I was home sick from school...an all around terrible day... happy birthday Chris

[@lookatthebatbaby]

You know you remind me of Stan Lee so much,the guy always had the nack for storytelling. You really make storytelling fun and I love the way you about the characters as well clearly you love doing these videos your expressions shows that.

[@mzaite]

3:25 I have those original Young Adult Novels from when I was a kid. Not mind blowing amazing stuff, but solid "Next Sunday AD" Sci-Fi. High technical accuracy, but kind of absurd premise of basically Mars colonization by a couple hundred High School teens. Good Middle School read for the early 90's. They don't appear to at all be related to the Comic or Cartoon show plans.

[@omarba9774]

WTF what hell is that intro I have not been on your channel for a while but man the intro is GREAT WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW

[@FrankieNautical]

Happy birthday Chris! Your videos mean a lot to me, and help inspire me to write. Thanks for the years of engaging and impeccable essays, retrospectives, and reviews

[@56postoffice]

In the UK, I remember hearing about this during my comic collecting days in the mid 80s. Used to see those ads in the comics as well.

[@jeremysmith4620]

I also witnessed the Challenger explosion live on TV as a small child in elementary school. That was a difficult day for so many people due to the nature of a publicly shared national tragedy. I still can't quantify exactly how it effected me over the years, but it is something I will most likely never forget. I can't imagine what the colleges, friends, and families of the astronauts went through having to witness such an event live with virtually everyone in the country. It was a shame though because we would watch nearly every shuttle launch up to that point. Wouldn't matter if it was just some routine satellite repair mission. The Challenger flight was even more hyped than usual in the classroom because it sadly had a teacher on board for the 1st time. I do hate that kids for decades since wouldn't get to watch shuttle launches, when it was still operative, and all of the love for space and NASA that got lost because of that lack of engagement.

[@juniorjames7076]

I was in 7th grade math class when our principal came in to tell us. I'm not even sure which classroom was watching it live, but some class was. They rolled in our television on wheels to watch some of the news footage, than they sent us home early, right before lunchtime.

[@abh623]

Happy birthday, Chris! That was a very interesting piece of comic trivia your presented, man. Thanks for that.

[@andeven1]

the blonde boy with raised hand immediately made me think of hitler youth lol 💀

[@i.m.evilhomer5084]

Such an interesting topic. Maybe should do another episode on lost or unreleased comics or comic related media.

[@alpakaracka6742]

to be honest; making art based arround astronauts sounds like a really great gig, for any artist.

[@El_Keck]

Great video and Happy Birthday Chris

[@notme5597]

These bite size pieces are great! If it makes your life a bit easier, maybe you could release more of these. You could use this format for small topics and do the full episodes for bigger topics. Whatever gets more of your videos on my feed and keeps you loving what you do!

[@zulium]

Hey happy birthday! Hope it was a good one. That was a cool little fun sized story. I guess that's just one of the weird, random events that pop up when your company is over 80 years old lol. I wonder how many other stories like that there actually are!

[@OomaGooma]

Happy birthday, Chris. 🥳 🎂 🎉

[@hannahkelsay178]

Chris, I loved this story it was super fun! Thank you! I really want those muppets comics advertised down at the bottom of the young astronauts advertisement.

[@Dariushellstrome]

I remember seeing the advertisements in the comics, I can't say for certain if I saw the show or not but I do remember those ads being in a bunch of marvel comics

[@ivane5110]

I remember the comicbook ads; the Captain America back cover I just assumed was to inspire kids to become astronauts and the comic's TV guide ad I had been interested in but thought I just must have missed it (forgetting about until reminded every 10 years or so). Cool to know the details. I wish it had gone through, but completely makes sense to pull it at that point.

[@SpiraLawliet]

Happy birthday Chris! Hope you have a great week!!

[@raymondluxuryfloyd8109]

I just realized there's a "reach for the stars" ad on the back of my alpha flight no. 24!

[@Pegwarmers]

I had the Young Astronauts Cabbage Patch Kid. He came in a cool space suit and his box was shaped like a rocket.

[@haystacks6181]

Quick short episode, works well for that subject matter, good stuff! And happy bday as well!

[@keithpl5438]

This was fascinating!! Thank you. Also: "What's bigger than a company?....SPACE!" 😆😆You're so weird, man!! Love it.

[@mf--]

The "... SPACE!" is usually a reference to Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3's cutscene, "I am escaping to the one place that has not been corrupted by capitalism... SPACE!"

[@keithpl5438]

@@mf-- Ohhh!

[@michaelgonzalez288]

Happy birthday. I love your content. The videos covering the creators and personalities and ideas Marvel experimented with over the years are fascinating.

[@JW666]

I actually do wondered why this video was so short, but then it made sense when you mentioned your bday. Happy (belated) bday =) This was still an interesting video =)

[@shelbyd6430]

Happy Birthday week! It's my birthday too but I celebrate the whole month! Please consider covering The Phantom some day!

[@DasNordlicht91]

the ad with Cap and the kids looking to the stars I always assumed was just a general NASA PSA ad using the good Captain as a spokesperson.

[@jeffpearljam1976]

Happy Birthday Mr. Chris

[@davidmahaffey2039]

I remember watching that from the window of my math class, having lived in Satellite Beach at the time

[@cain666]

Fun and interesting - as per usual. Shorts are fine now and then, though I have never felt any CT episodes padded or overlong. Oh, and happy birthday, Chris!

[@CidemNK]

Happy Birthday, Chris!

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

Minute 3:19 am I the only one who thinks the spaceship behind the family in that promo is identical to a "bird of prey" ship from Star Trek? (I never remember if were Romulan or Klingon who named their warships "birds of prey", or both)

[@evlinalw325]

Happy Birthday Chris!

[@MrFaceNumeroUno]

Yeah baby! Par-tay!

[@lo1bo2]

Yep, I watched the Challenger explosion at school, too. My teacher cried.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

I was aware of the Young Astronauts cartoon, but not the lawsuit. Very interesting. I have no problem with Marvel suing the non-profit, based on what you presented in the video. Marvel held up their end of the bargain and deserved to get paid. Are they just supposed to not collect what they were owed just because the other party they made a deal with was a non-profit? I do remember seeing that "Reach for the Stars" ad, but I don't think I ever read the text. 5:38 That ship looks like a dollar store bootleg of a Klingon ship from Star Trek.

[@ComicTropes]

Marvel definitely was entitled to the money.

[@stardust_memories2260]

Happy birthday 🎂✨ It'd be awesome to find some June Brigman original artwork pages from that

[@richmcgee434]

I remember seeing the Challenger explosion myself. Honestly thought it was going to be the worst thing I'd see live on the air in my life. And then 9/11 happened. And a large part of 2020. And January 6, 2021. Younger me was much less pessimistic about how awful the world can be.

[@Nono-hk3is]

Same experience here.

[@smacksalad]

I bought you a cake. I ate the cake. Happy birthday.

[@wayned.ashford1704]

Happy birthday, Chris 🎉🎂🎊!

[@theajshow]

Wow, can't say I ever heard of this, but I guess that makes sense being lost media and all. Very interesting story, to say the least...and take that non-profit! ...errr, wait...

[@hotsaucekiddo]

Love that you have dwj's extremity, beta ray bill, and murder falcon in the back.

[@adriank8792]

Maybe by some miracle, somebody out there has that ad saved it on VHS?

[@belgiumcomics2537]

Happy birthday week Chris

[@GyrosLeftSteelBall]

I’m sure that pilot is in a vault somewhere

[@SoulStarSketchin]

damn man I never even knew about this one. I had heard marvel was in talks of getting something behind the Challenger's launch just before the disaster. Yes this is a pure case of not just lost media but a shame and tragedy on top of that.

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

From the research of done, Disney seems to be the current rights holder for both the cartoon and comic. Which is sad because the Disney mega corporation seems to have little care or interest in the old media of their acquisitions. The Young Astronauts cartoon is probably my #1 most desired piece of Lost Media.

[@Clay3613]

I smell a new a lost media hunt!

[@raulzavala9061]

Well Happy Birthday, sir! I have comics from around that period and yes I always wondered what came out of that cartoon series, only years later I read that the Challenger disaster put a kibosh to the whole thing but I never knew until know that animation cels could still be found somewhere. Could you do a video on the whole Captain America on Broadway musical, it might have been around '83-'84.

[@treetheoak8313]

Happy belated Chris!

[@derpdiggler7619]

Go back to the old intro song. This one lacks any wooo wooo. The old song got me pumped 😊

[@GleeChan]

Marvel: Educate Kids? NOT IN OUR WATCH!

[@mightyrobot42]

I wonder if someone has the aired episode sitting on some forgotten VHS tape somewhere.

[@kennysp666]

I'm not 1/2 way through and I'm going "had they never seen or heard of Lost in Space?'

[@zainmudassir2964]

Astra Lost in Space is good manga

[@ucmooreart]

question about the format of the show: Would short form videos like this and then a long form be a better fit for your schedule?

[@blacktionjackson7133]

Nice to see you take a break from whining about Chris Claremont being an absolute champion.

[@mandelabutterfly9162]

Happy Birthday Chris

[@abdelali9279]

Marvel suing and winning a $200k lawsuit against a NGO, what a story tbh.

[@oldmanlogan9616]

Sempre são muito interessantes esses casos de mídia perdida! Muito bom o vídeo!

[@WyattBeazer]

Great video as always. I was wondering if you would ever do a video on James Stokoe, or maybe you already have?

[@scottfree2248]

Marvel comics standing up for Truth, Justice, and the American way. Not to forget the almighty dollar.

[@Nono-hk3is]

HBD Chris!

[@timefluidscribbler]

Happy birthday!! Great lil story lol!

[@michaellombardi1620]

Happy birthday!

[@touche5616]

Happy birthday Chris

[@vincentimbesi3947]

Good stuff as always!

[@truslider]

ComicTropes, you gotta keep your cat off your t-shirts :P Happy Birthday!!