небо зовёт (The Sky Is Calling) is a Soviet science fiction film released in 1959. In 1961 Roger Corman bought the US rights, dubbed and recut it and released it as Battle Beyond the Sun. IMDb.
Nancy Gates played Renza Hale in the Men Into Space episode "First Woman On The Moon," written by James Clavell, which aired on December 16, 1959. Read about it at wcftr.
The tomb of Jules Verne, who died on this day in 1905, implies that he hasn't been dead all this time so much as exploring the centre of the earth. Source.
I can't help thinking that the Aries 1B of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Trade Federation starship of the Star Wars prequels are both inspired by the liquid hydrogen tanks at Cape Canaveral. Source.