Galaxy Science Fiction Feb 1957 – Orbital Docking Spacewalk Cover

Published in February 1957, as the Space Race was heating up and Sputnik was just months away, this Galaxy Science Fiction cover captures the era's obsession with realistic near-future space travel. Two massive spacecraft execute a dramatic orbital rendezvous, with suited figures performing a dangerous spacewalk between the hulls. The illustration reflects Willy Ley's nonfiction feature on space travel, blending hard-science plausibility with pulp visual excitement in a confident, optimistic vision of imminent human spaceflight.