In 1985, CBS shelled out $3 million to produce 13 episodes of a new animated series entitled The Young Astronauts, in collaboration with Marvel Comics. The purpose of the show was to promote the Young Astronaut Council, a children’s program established by Ronald Reagan the previous year. Among the known actors hired for the project were Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) and James Avery (Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). 

The show was meant to revolve around a family called the Hamptons, with Cartwright playing their eldest daughter, Wendy. In the pilot, Wendy’s brother, Mikey (Stephen Dorff), ends up on an unmanned “ghost ship” heading for Jupiter, along with his robotic maintenance sidekick, Retro. Mikey’s parents must now rush to rescue him before the ship is incinerated by Jupiter’s atmosphere. As Mikey finds out from the vessel’s computerized captain, the previous crew died in a similar accident.

The Story Behind Marvel’s Lost ‘Young Astronauts’ Cartoon

Accounts differ on whether or not the Young Astronauts pilot ever aired, but we do know its planned debut in the fall of 1985 was postponed because of a dispute over the show’s accuracy. Evidently, the problem stemmed from CBS being more interested in how entertaining the cartoon was than its scientific credibility. A meeting about rescheduling the premiere was held on January 27, 1986, but the following day, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its 10th mission, killing all seven of its crew members.

CBS executives quickly abandoned all plans for The Young Astronauts, and a lengthy legal battle ensued over their decision. It was eventually settled in Marvel’s favor in 1990. The number of episodes produced remains unclear, but Marvel reportedly spent over $1 million of its $3 million budget on the pilot alone. Though no footage has surfaced since the show’s cancellation, audio taken from the “Ghost Ship” episode’s recording sessions was uploaded to YouTube in recent years.

You can listen to what survives of the 1985 pilot below.