Science-Fiction Plus May 1953 — Astronauts in Modern Space Suits Near Jupiter
Before you stands the debut-era cover artwork of Hugo Gernsback's final magazine venture, Science-Fiction Plus, depicting two spacesuited astronauts maneuvering in open space amid a dramatic planetary backdrop featuring Jupiter and scattered moons. The foreground figure grips a tethered cable while a second tumbles freely behind, both clad in meticulously rendered white pressure suits with orange accents — a vision of near-future spacewalking that predates Vostok and Gemini by a decade.
The illustration is technically competent and scientifically earnest — Gernsback's house style always prioritized educational plausibility over drama. The absence of menace or narrative tension keeps the pulp energy moderate despite the spectacular setting.
“MAY 1953 HUGO GERNSBACK, Editor Science-Fiction PLUS preview of the future Complete Short Novel By F. L. Wallace Plus Science-Fiction Stories by Eando Binder Robert Bloch Harry Walton and others 35¢ Modern Space Suit NEW NOVELETTE BY HARRY BATES, AUTHOR OF THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL”
