SPACE COLLECTIBLES STARTED IN THE EARLY 30'S WITH RADIO SERIALS AND PULP MAGAZINES.THEN WITH MOVIES ABOUT SPACE TRAVEL TO DISTANT PLANETS WITH BUCK ROGERS,COMMANDER CODY,FORBIDDEN PLANET WITH ROBBIE THE ROBOT,THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL AND OTHER FLIMS ABOUT  BATTLES ON OTHER PLANETS,THE SPACE ITEMS STARTED TO COME INTO PLAY.TOYS WITH SPACE SHIPS OF ALL TYPES STARTED COMING OUT MOST MADE IN JAPAN AND OF TIN AND STEEL.THEN IN 1960'S WITH THE RUSSIANS AND THE UNITED STATES BOTH IN THE SPACE RACE,MORE ITEMS WERE BEING PRODUCED.PRESIDENT JOHN F.KENNEDY IN 1961 SAYS TO CONGRESS THAT THIS NATION SHOULD COMMIT ITSELF TO ACHIEVING THE GOAL,BEFORE THIS DECADE IS OUT,OF LANDING A MAN ON THE MOON AND RETURNING HIM SAFELY TO THE EARTH.THIS  WAS THE START OF SPACE RELATED TOYS.THERE WERE MANY ITEMS BEING PRODUCED THAT WERE TO DO WITH THE MERCURY SEVEN ASTRONAUTS.THE 1ST AMERICAN TO GO INTO SPACE WAS ALAN SHEPARD AND THE 1ST TO ORBIT WAS JOHN GLENN.THESE MEN WERE THE BEGINING OF WHAT WAS ONCE SCIENCE FICTION BECAME REAL.THIS STARTED THE SPACE CRAZE AS IT WAS KNOWN WITH THE ISSUING OF MODEL ROCKETS,ASTRONAUTS,PLAYSETS OF CAPE CANAVERAL,LUNCHBOXES,GUM CARDS.WITH TELEVISION  COMING INTO ITS OWN IN THE 1960'S AND WITH SHOWS LIKE LOST IN SPACE AND STAR TREK.THE SPACE COLLECTIBLES BECAME EVEN MORE.IN 1964 THE G.I.JOE LINE CAME OUT WITH ITS 1ST SPACE ACTION FIGURE COMPLETE WITH CAPSULE,SPACE SUIT AND ACCESSORIES.IN 1966 MATTEL CAME OUT WITH MAJOR.MATT MASON.THIS ACTION FIGURE WAS BASED ON THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM WITH SPACE SUITS AND LUNAR VECHILES.IT ALSO HAD A THE 1ST LUNAR SPACE STATION.ALSO IN 1966 FROM GREAT BRITAIN CAME  THE THUNDERBIRDS TV SHOW.THIS SERIES BASED ON THE EXPLOITS OF THE TRACY FAMILY AND ITS ITERNATIONAL  RESCUE TEAM.THESE WERE PUPPETS MADE BY GERRY ANDERSON AND ALSO PRODUCED OTHER TV SHOWS SUCH AS STINGRAY,CAPT.SCARLET,JOE 90,U.F.O AND SPACE 1999.THE TOY LINE WAS INCREDIBLE.DIE-CAST TOYS,ACTION FIGURES,LUNCHBOXES,GUM CARDS ,ETC.IN 1968 THE MARX CORP.PRODUCED JOHNNY APOLLO.THIS 7 1/2 INCH ACTION FIGURE WAS MADE OF MOLDED  POLY-PLASTIC.HE HAD A SISTER NAMED JANE APOLLO.THEY  HAD MANY ACCESSORIES INCLUDING HELMET,OXYGEN TANKS,HOSES,AND MANY TOOLS .THIS SET ALSO HAD A JOHNSON SPACE CENTER SET,SPACE EXPEDTION,SPACE CRAWLER.THE MAIN ITEMS THAT WAS MADE CAME WHEN APOLLO 11 AND ITS ASTRONAUTS NEIL ARMSTRONG AND ED BUZZ ALDRIN,ON JULY,20TH 1969 LANDED ON THE MOON.THIS WAS A DREAM COME TRUE.NEWSPAPERS,MODEL KITS,BOOKS,CUPS,BUTTONS WITH PICTURES OF THE ASTRONAUTS WERE ISSUED.THEN IN 1973 SKYLAB WAS LAUNCHEDTHE 1ST SPACE STAION WAS INTRODUCED, AND IN 1975 THE 1ST APOLLO-SOYUZ JOINING OF AMERICAN AND RUSSIAN ASTRONAUTS TOOK PLACE . THE 1ST SPACE STAION WAS INTRODUCED.1N 1976 A NEW REUSABLE SPACE SHIP WAS BEING UNVAILED CALLED A SPACE SHUTTLE.THE 1ST WAS NAMED ORBITER 101,BUT WAS LATER CHANGED AFTER 1 MILLION STAR TREK FANS WROTE IN AND WAS NAMED ENTERPRISE.0N FEB 18TH 1977 THE SHUTTLE FLEW FOR 2HRS 5MIN AS IT WAS LAUNCHED FROM A BOEING 747ALSO IN 1977 A NEW SPACE FLIM WAS BEING MADE CALLED STAR WARS AND HAD TOYS PRODUCED BY THE KENNER CORP.THE 1ST SPACE SHUTTLE TO FLY IN SPACE BLASTED OFF IN MAR,1981 THE NAME WAS COLUMBIA.SINCE THEN WE HAVE HAD TOYS ON MANY SPACE ITEMS INCUDING STAR TREKS NEXT GENERATION,VOYAGER,DEEP SPACE NINE AND ENTERPRISE .WE HAD THE MARS LANDER ,THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND MOST RECENTLY SKY SHIP ONE.THE NEXT SHIP TO BE INTRODUCED WILL TAKE US BACK TO THE MOON AROUND 2010.IT WILL BE INTRESTING TO SEE HOW IT WILL BE MADE AND WHAT KIND OF SPACE TOYS  ARE IN THE FUTURE.