Paramount Pictures releases the George Pal-produced movie adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War Of The Worlds in American theaters, starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, and Les Tremayne. Featuring groundbreaking special effects photography and painted space scenes by Chesley Bonestell, the movie is an instant hit, and will later inspire a television revival based on elements of this film.
ITV airs the fifth episode of Ace Of Wands, starring Michael McKenzie, Tony Selby and Judy Loe. Vernon Dobtcheff guest stars. This episode, like the rest of the series’ first two seasons, is now missing from the archives.
The Soviet space program continues with the launch of Soyuz 15, carrying cosmonauts Lev Dyomin and Gennadi Sarafanov. This is intended to be the second crew to occupy the Salyut 3 military space station, but spacecraft systems intended to automate the rendezvous and docking process fail. After manual dockings are attempted, the Soyuz vehicle is running low on fuel and the crew is recalled to Earth after only two days. (Trying to dodge questions about the nature of Salyut 3’s mission objectives, Soviet space authorities later claim that Soyuz 15 was never going to dock with the station.) No further crews are sent to board Salyut 3.
The Soviet Union’s Soyuz 31 mission to the Salyut 6 space station lifts off, with cosmonauts Valery Bykovsky and Sigmund Jahn (the first East German space traveler) aboard. The crews are segregated less than on previous Interkosmos flights, and the Soyuz 31 crew is in space for over a week. They leave their vehicle at Salyut 6 and return in the Soyuz 29 vehicle on September 3rd.
The NASA/JPL unmanned space probe Voyager 2 makes its closest pass to the planet Saturn. Unlike Voyager 1, Voyager 2 does not make a close pass to the large moon Titan, and uses Saturn’s gravity to deflect it toward the planet Uranus, the first man-made spacecraft to aim for that planet. Problems with the aiming mechanism of the scan platform – the arm of the spacecraft containing Voyager’s camera and imaging systems – call the viability of a Uranus flyby into question for a short time, but the issue is resolved and workaround procedures are developed in the event of a recurring problem.
ITV airs the 30th episode of P.J. Hammond’s science fiction series Sapphire & Steel, starring David McCallum and Joanna Lumley. Scheduling conflicts for the lead actors again keep the series off the air until the following year after this episode.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
ITV airs the 33rd episode of P.J. Hammond’s science fiction series Sapphire & Steel, starring David McCallum and Joanna Lumley. David Collings and Edward de Souza guest star.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
As scientists marvel over the latest data and pictures from Voyager 2 as it leaves Neptune, images of the planet’s large moon Triton prove to be jaw-dropping. Active geysers blast dark material – possibly evidence of cryovolcanism – over the moon’s mottled surface, and an atmosphere is measured. Virtually no craters caused by meteor impacts are spotted, meaning that Triton’s surface is geologically active – all completely new discoveries to Earth-based scientists. Perhaps the most frustrating part of all of the new information is that no further missions to Neptune are in serious consideration by NASA to follow up on Voyager 2’s discoveries.
Fox premieres the first weekly episode of M.A.N.T.I.S., an urban superhero series created by Sam Hamm (screenwriter of Tim Burton’s Batman) and future Hercules/Xena creators Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi. Carl Lumbly, Roger Rees (Cheers), Galyn Gorg, and Christopher Gartin star in a series vastly changed from the premise and tone of the January pilot movie.
More about M.A.N.T.I.S. in theLogBook
Hear about it on the Sci-Fi 5 podcast
Jerry Goldsmith’s soundtrack from the movie Planet Of The Apes is released on Varese Sarabande Records.
Showtime airs the 106th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
The 23rd episode of Witchblade airs on cable channel TNT, based on the Top Cow comic book of the same name, starring Yancy Butler, David Chokachi and John Hensley. Kate Levering (Drop Dead Diva) and Grace Slick (lead singer of Jefferson Airplane) guest star. This is the final episode of the series, which is highly-rated, but unable to continue production due to Yancy Butler’s ongoing addiction issues.
Sci-Fi channel airs the 20th episode of Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. Richard Hatch guest stars.
More about Battlestar Galactica in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
Battlestar Galactica now streaming on Amazon Prime
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 30th episode of the science fiction series Eureka, starring Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson, and Joe Morton. Ever Carradine (Runaways, The Handmaid’s Tale) guest stars.
More about Eureka in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
Eureka now streaming on Amazon Prime
American pay cable channel Starz premieres the 39th episode of Russell T. Davies’ science fiction series Torchwood, with a season subtitle of Miracle Day. John de Lancie (Star Trek: TNG), Nana Visitor (Star Trek: DS9) and Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Jurassic Park) guest star.
More about Torchwood in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
Torchwood now streaming on HBO Max
