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Rocket Kids: Burning Out Their Fuses Up There Alone

Father Knows Best

shot an arrow into the sky small jp.jpg

Still image from the Twilight Zone episode "I Shot an Arrow into the Air," originally aired January 15, 1960. Can be viewed in season one of the Twilight Zone. Rights holder of this episode is CBS Studios, and the image was obtained through Fair Use

Stardate 1960

Billy: Dad when can I go into space?

Father: Now Billy, I really don't think you are going to go in to space any time soon at your age.

Billy: Awww why not?

Father: Well last night, the Twilight Zone episode "I Shot an Arrow into the Air" gives me plenty of reasons. For one, space flight is meant for grown military men, not ten year old boys that should be playing baseball. Its also full of unexpected dangers and is very unpredictable son. The space shuttle lost contact with mission control and it eventually crash landed and killed several members of the crew while leaving others stranded. Mind you, the space agency did invest a full four years of effort into that one ship and it failed.

Billy: Dad, I still think I can do it.

Father: Well son, I hate to tell you this, but I don't think space travel is possible. The ship didn't even make it out of the Earth. It crash landed in a desert outside of Reno. The space agency put so much effort into that ship and it couldn't even make it off the Earth into space.