Toy, Adjustable Belt, Space Helmet, "Men into Space"

This adjustable strap allowed the wearer of the associated "Men into Space" toy play helmet to adjust the size to his (or her) head as the owner pretended to be Colonel Ed McCauley, the star character depicted on television by William Lundigan. In its one season of half hour black and white programs broadcast in 1959-1960, "Men into Space" depicted the realistic adventures of McCauley, the head of a fictional American space program. Aimed at adults, executed with the cooperation of the Department of Defense, and aired on CBS, "Men into Space" offered a fact-based depiction of space flight in the near future of the budding space age. It was produced by Ziv Television Programs, Inc., a Midwestern company known as the leading producer of first-run syndicated programming.

John C. Fredriksen, who is also the author of an eponymous episode guide to Men into Space, gave the toy helmet, including this component belt, to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 2013.