Child of the Sixties Forever

Abandoned in space in 1967, a U.S. satellite started transmitting again in 2013

Abandoned in space in 1967, a U.S. satellite started transmitting again in 2013

Nov 28, 2017 Stefan Andrews

After learning that a satellite that’s been silent for decades has suddenly started sending out new signals you may, of course, suspect that the device has been hijacked by aliens now trying to communicate with Earth. Perhaps they’re warning us that they are planning an invasion!

It’s possible such thoughts ran through the mind of Phil Williams, an English amateur radio astronomer based in Cornwall, who was the first person to pick up the strange signals coming in as “ghostly sounds” in 2013. It turned out that the transmitted messages were coming from an abandoned LES1 satellite, but experts needed three more years to authenticate that this was indeed the American satellite that was “lost” in 1967.

LES1 was one of several units produced and launched into space by the Lincoln Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in between 1965 and 1967. These units, primarily designed for testing new satellite communication technology, were each labeled with numbers, running from LES1 to LES9.

As it turned out, the launch of the first four satellites did not go that well. LES1, in particular, failed to reach most of its planned objectives. Contact with the satellite was completely lost two years after its launch, and it has ever since revolved around our planet, staying entirely out of touch. Things went better for the later four, LES5 to LES9 units; the LES7 unit was canceled as the program was then coming to an end and there was no more funding for it.

What surprised everyone in 2013 is that LES1 started sending signals in repeats of every four seconds. Phil Williams has suggested that a failure in one of the device components is what perhaps caused it to start sending signals again.

The designated frequency of the signal is 237 MHz. However, the satellite manages to send the transmissions only when its solar panels are directly exposed to light. The signal reportedly ceases once the craft’s panels fall into the shadow of the satellite’s own body. “Tension in the solar panels jumps, and it can do the phantom signal,” Williams has stated.

It is probable that the satellite’s on-board battery is entirely diminished by now, so what powers the transmission of the signals is a bit of a mystery. As to whether LES1 poses any threat, there is apparently nothing to fear. This is yet one more piece of space junk spinning around in orbit.

What’s more striking is that the electronics used in LES1 were produced five decades ago and though they’ve been exposed to the severe conditions of space, they still appear to be in some sort of working order. And five decades ago is a long time in terms of the technology and its development.

LES1 was launched more than a decade before the probe Voyager-1 was launched into space to explore the outer realms of the solar system. And the electronics used back in the 1960s were way simpler than those used since, hence, perhaps, their durability.

The news of this out-of-date satellite coming back online after so much time staying silent has certainly surprised everyone within the scientific community. The satellite was launched February 11, 1965, from Cape Canaveral. It ceased sending signals just two years later. Still, this is not the only case of a satellite having been lost and then found again.

It also happened to the much more costly Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft (SOHO), which disappeared without a trace back in 1998. SOHO stopped sending signals while conducting its mission of observing the sun. NASA astronomers eventually located the lost craft and re-established contact with it as it was helplessly spinning in space.

In the case of SOHO, it was reportedly a glitch in the software that led to the craft’s malfunction. The satellite was eventually fully recovered, and it continued its set mission. But in the case of LES1, it all seems a lot more strange and way more unexpected as such an old piece of equipment had been long forgotten.

‘Lost in Space’ stars Angela Cartwright, Bill Mumy explain why hit ‘60s series ended: ‘There was no closure’

'Lost in Space' stars Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy released a book about the series

By Stephanie Nolasco | Fox News

Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy have reunited for a very special reason.

The former castmates from the ‘60s sci-fi series "Lost in Space" have teamed up to release a new book for fans titled "Lost (and Found) in Space2: Blast Off Into the Expanded Edition."

The pictorial memoir, which commemorates the 55th anniversary of the show’s second season debut, features over 925 photos including more than 600 newly found images. All the photographs were hand-selected by the TV siblings and many of them come from their collections.

Mumy, 67, and Cartwright, 69, spoke to Fox News about working together again, growing up in the spotlight, as well as their favorite memories from the set.

Fox News: What inspired the both of you to release this book now?

Bill Mumy: We’ve collaborated on quite a few projects over half-century and we have a close relationship… It just seemed like a natural time. So much has happened in the six, seven years regarding "Lost in Space" with the new Netflix series.

We were both fortunate enough to be a part of a show like this one. And honestly, the pandemic pretty much kept us in lockdown at our homes so we needed a good project to work on. We wanted to help others get through these times and make people happy.

Fox News: Looking back, what do you believe was the secret behind the show’s lasting success?

Angela Cartwright: I think it was a very interesting time in history. It was the psychedelic ‘60s. When we started the series, The Beatles were at the top of the charts with "I Feel Fine." And when we ended the series, they were recording "Helter Skelter."

And the show never stopped airing all over the world. It’s been in nonstop syndication since 1965. So a lot of people still tune in and watch it. I get letters all the time about how they grew up watching the series and they’re now sharing it with their families. I think it brings back a little bit of innocence from our childhoods. There’s not a lot on TV today that you can sit and watch with the whole family.

Fox News: Bill, what was your initial impression of Angela when you first met her on set?

Mumy: I was quite a seasoned professional before we started filming "Lost in Space." I started working when I was 5 and I was just shy of 11 when we started filming. And I had always had a crush on my female co-stars, such as Shirley Jones, Connie Stevens, Bridget Bardot, Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara Eden. They were all beautiful blondes. But I must admit, when I saw Angela for the first time, it was powerful *laughs*… And I caught up. I’m taller than her now, so it all worked out.

Fox News: What about you Angela, what was it like working with Bill? You were also a child actress at the time.

Cartwright: Oh, it was great. I had just finished "Sound of Music." I had been working with other kids, which I loved. And in "Sound of Music" it very much felt like a family. So I just loved the energy that Bill had. And the two of us just hit it off. We were very adventurous together and we had a great time filming the show. I mean, to get up every morning and do what you love for a living, what more could someone ask for?

Mumy: One of the things that you might be alluding to is the fact that we started dating each other [long] after the series ended. And that was a nice phase in our history. We’ve been friends for a long time now. Many years.

Fox News: What’s your favorite memory from your time on set?

Mumy: Every day after lunch, the great Jonathan Harris, who played Dr. Zachary Smith, would hand out Tootsie Pops to the entire crew and cast, every day, to give us a little sugar perk, to keep our energies going. That was something I always looked forward to. We had such nice chemistry with the cast.

Bobby May, who was locked inside that claustrophobic robot, was very enthusiastic. We had a lot of fun together. I have nothing but great memories and feelings for the years we worked on the series. We still have a wonderful relationship years later. We’re still one big dysfunctional family. We’ve always kept in touch aside from making personal appearances at conventions. Our numbers may have dwindled a bit, but we’re still very much connected as a family. We still communicate with June Lockhart, who is 96.

And I love June Lockhart. She’s an amazing human being for sure. She was such an incredible wordsmith. She loved "Password" and she was even a guest on that show. She’s a very smart lady. She was so inquisitive all the time. She loved opera, the space program and rock ‘n’ roll. She brought the Allman Brothers to the studio when they were in a group called Hour Glass. She took me and Angela to the Whiskey-A-Go-Go. She got us tickets to see Simon & Garfunkel. June is truly a rock ‘n’ roll gal.

Fox News: What caused "Lost in Space" to end?

Mumy: That’s an interesting historical debate. There was no closure. There were no goodbyes. We had all been verbally told after the third season that we’d be back for a fourth season. In those days, a season was about 30 episodes. So there was no wrap party. We just said, "See you in six weeks" and went our way. There’s a lot of different theories about it, but ultimately the network wanted [TV producer] Irwin Allen to turn in a bunch of treatments for the fourth season and he didn’t get around to it.

There were some budget misunderstandings and it just got, well, lost in space. It went to the cornfield. We got the phone call around April 1968 that after a little over three years of working together that we wouldn’t be working together anymore. Angela and I continued to attend school together for another year and of course, we stayed close. But we didn’t see everybody else in the cast regularly for quite a long time. Luckily, we [later] reunited and have been hanging out a couple of times a year, pre-pandemic.

Fox News: Angela, was it difficult growing up in front of the camera?

Cartwright: No, I think it was easier because there wasn't social media at the time… There wasn’t this pressure to be a certain way. It was very different. There was a kind of innocence about that. I started when I was 3 and continued to work all through my teen and young adult years. I bowed out a little bit because I wanted to be a mom. It was never a drag. There wasn’t this competition. Now everybody wants to be in showbiz even if they haven’t studied acting. It’s a whole different scene these days.

Fox News: So it was easier to be a child star in those days?

Mumy: I don’t think that’s true. I’m not saying anything negative about my experiences at all because I very much enjoyed doing what I did. But whether it’s 1965 or 2021, that’s still a minor who has to go to work for nine or nine and-a-half hours. A minor has to get a minimum of three hours of schooling within that time and have a lunch break. Then you have to memorize your dialogue in advance and deliver it. I don’t think it’s much different now.

Fox News: It’s been said the series inspired some fans to pursue careers in NASA.

Cartwright: Absolutely. Bill and I were invited to go and see the liftoff of the Discovery, which was an amazing experience… So many of the technicians told us how much they loved "Lost in Space" and how it inspired them to go into the space program. That’s something we hear over and over again. And I think that’s part of the show’s success.

Fox News: What do you make of the new Netflix revival?

Mumy: I think it’s great. It’s very much in sync with the original tone of "Lost in Space." If you look back at the first half of the first season, it was a pretty dark, science fiction story. But the network CBS aired the show during family hour so they started getting a lot of letters from parents saying it was too scary for little kids.

So "Lost in Space" started changing its tone somewhere around mid-Season 1. And the new Netflix series is very much in tune with the original vision. I got to play the original Dr. Smith in the Netflix series and Angela played Parker Posey’s mother… It was exciting for us to be a part of it and revisit the story again.

Fox News: What do you hope readers will get from the book?

Cartwright: A good time, some good memories… I hope it puts people in a happy place and I hope it satisfies the hardcore "Lost in Space" fans with seeing new photos and hearing new tales.

Mumy: … I think we’ve done a really good job of sharing our experiences of what it was like filming the show. I think it’s an interesting little pocket view into a show that has made people happy for over 50 years.

the Monkees press conference in Brisbane, Australia,

the Monkees press conference in Brisbane, Australia, Sept. 22, 1968. When a reporter who clearly disliked the group started asking questions like ““When do you think you might break up and try something like music?” Davy got fed up and poured a glass of water over the reporter’s head. The reporter then poured a glass of water over Davy’s head.