Haven’t I Seen... ?:
• The launch procedure from The Swamps Of Jupiter is used almost in its entirety, even though the Galasphere there was 024, and here it is 347. This occurs many times throughout the first series.
• It is interesting to note that Slim is always the first to go through contamination control, so that the same footage can again be reused.
• Professor Zeffer is Doctor Mall from The Swamps Of Jupiter, and his assistant reappears as the Martian President.

Take A Break:
• As Galasphere 347 approaches the asteroid, Raeburn tells Dart "Mars Observatory will be following you on their screens. Good luck".

Astro Viewer Working:
• This is the first episode to feature the standard version of the theme although, confusingly, the DVD release gives it the version heard on The Swamps Of Jupiter.
• In the scene where Raeburn is telling Marla about the asteroid colliding with Mars, the shots of him have been reversed - the symbol on his tunic is on the left instead of right!
• The perspex molungs and hoverjets make their first appearance, the latter accompanied by bursts of vapour when they move - the only other times they do are in The Shrinking Spaceman & The Fires Of Mercury suggesting the asteriod scenes may have been filmed together.
• We are introduced to Professor Zeffer, who appears several times throughout the series, as does the Martian President.
• Professor Haggarty and his daughter Cassiopeia also make their debut.
• We see robots and Robot Control at Space Headquarters, not just on the Galasphere.
• The robot has a bolt on the right side of the body that seems to prevent the arm on that side from swinging too much.
• Dart comments that they cannot reach the freighter by hoverjet as it is too high but in The Walking Lake Of Jupiter they are seen to reach a fair altitude when using the electric guns.

Hoorah!:
• A nifty animation showing the asteroid’s trajectory to Mars is used.
• There’s a lovely but silly moment when Husky volunteers to throw himself off the Galasphere to reduce weight in an attempt to flee the doomed asteroid...



Boo!:
• The view of Mars' two moons, seen from the Mars Observatory, shows Mars as well.
• We don’t get to see the collision of the comet and asteroid.
• When Galasphere 347 lands on the asteroid, the freighter droops!
• The timing mechanism of the explosive is actually the timing mechanism most people wear on their wrist - the workings of a watch!
• The freighter is not dragged away from the Galasphere but leads ahead of it.
• The asteroid itself almost seems to burst like a balloon when it explodes.

Computer Central:
• First screened: April 14th 1963 (Tyne Tees)
• Running time: 24 minutes 51 seconds
• While The Swamps Of Jupiter is definitely the pilot, this episode is used to open the series in some regions of the UK and Australia.
• One of the computers seen is a National-Elliott 450 (left), developed in the late 1950s.
• BFCC Classified - 26th February 1998
• VHS - Volume 1
• DVD - 'The Best of', Vol. 1
• DVD - Complete Series Box Set, Disk 1

Listings
• London, July 5th 1963:
An asteroid has been deflected from its orbit and is heading straight for the capital of Mars. Colonel Raeburn, Head of Space Patrol, gives Larry Dart an almost impossible assignment - to destroy the asteroid.
• Scotland, August 8th 1963:
There's consternation at the Martian Observatory when it is noticed that a huge comet, flying within a belt of asteroids, has pulled one out of its orbit.

Brahms & List
• The Listener In TV for Melbourne, Australia refers to the Martian capitol as 'Wontan'.

Ready To Lift ?:
Space Patrol does Armageddon/Deep Impact thirty years ahead of their time! Even down to the dodgy timing fuse for the explosives. A better episode than the pilot - though the ending lacks some tension - freed from having to establish so much but it still manages to introduce new regulars.

On to the next episode