Salvage 1

1 9 7 9 (USA)
19 x 60 minute episodes

“Once upon a time, a junk man had a dream . . . so he put together a team: an ex-astronaut, a fuel expert – they built a rocket ship, and they went to the moon. Who knows what they’ll do next?” 

The Vulture is a homemade rocket ship, ten feet wide by 30 feet high, which was built by Harold (‘Harry’) Broderick, the owner of the Jettison Scrap and Salvage Company at 98 Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Melanie (‘Mel’) Slozar and Addison (‘Skip’) Carmichael are Harry’s partners in a unique service that guarantees to salvage anything from anywhere or there is no fee.

The thought “of all that moon junk” the astronauts left on the moon started Harry thinking about salvaging it and selling it after he read the book The Trans-Linear Vector Principle by ex-astronaut Skip Carmichael, which described a way of travelling to the moon using reduced speed and a special fuel.

Harry salvaged enough parts from NASA to build the Vulture. Mel (a fuel and chemistry expert) then developed the special fuel (Mono-Hydrazine) and Skip piloted the rocket.

Together, Skip (Joel Higgins) and Mel (Trish Stewart) achieved the impossible and landed on the moon.

They then salvaged billions of dollars in “NASA junk” and returned to Earth. But they also upset the government – apparently, it is against federal law for a private citizen to own a rocket, and flying it is another, more serious violation.

The government assign Department of Justice agent Jack Klinger (Richard Jaeckel) to keep tabs on Harry and his illegal flights.

Science fiction author Isaac Asimov was the show’s scientific adviser.

Several episodes were not broadcast in the US due to the show’s cancellation. These final episodes were, however, shown in the UK.

Harry Broderick
Andy Griffith
Addison ‘Skip’ Carmichael
Joel Higgins
Melanie ‘Mel’ Slozar
Trish Stewart
Jack Klinger
Richard Jaeckel