A 1947 novel by Robert A. Heinlein that has three teenagers who take part in a pioneering flight to the moon after being recruited by one boy's uncle.
The 1950 movie Destination Moon, is loosely based on the novel.
It was published on May 1, 1947.
Tropes for the novel:
- The '40s: Takes place after World War II.
- Colonized Solar System: There is a hidden Nazi colony on the Moon. The boys manage to destroy it.
- Fourth Reich: The Nazis are dedicated to establishing a Fourth Reich from their base on the Moon.
- Lunarians: There are Nazis on the Moon, but at one point, a character claims to have seen Little Green Men as well, and it's left ambiguous as to whether he was hallucinating from lack of oxygen.
- One World Order: Peace is enforced by the guided rockets of the U.N. World Patrol.
- Space Base: The team discover a hidden Nazi base on the Moon after the end of World War II.
- Stupid Jetpack Hitler: Nazis with atomic spaceships on the Moon, only a couple of years after WWII ended. For the readers of the time, the Nazis were probably the least fantastic part. Men on the Moon indeed!
- Thrown Out the Airlock: One of the heroes threatens to do this to a Nazi prisoner to get him to talk. He has to partially carry it out before the Nazi cracks.
