In this shot from 1950s Destination Moon, these stars were actually 2,000 light bulbs from car headlights.
It was probably the most realistic portrayal of space at the time.
But 68 years and several real-life space missions later, first man used state-of-the-art LED screens to project realistic renders of the solar system and the moon's surface, even adding a reflection on Ryan Gosling's helmet.
It took decades of technical breakthroughs to get to this point, from intricate wirework and robotic cameras to CG legs floating in zero gravity.
Here's how space scenes have transformed over 120 years.
Long before humankind took their first steps on the moon, filmmakers sought to bring their stories to space.
In 1902s, A Trip to The Moon director George Milleis created the illusion of a capsule landing in the moon using a substitution splice, first shooting the actor playing the moon, then adding the capsule in another shot and combining the two frames.
While this iconic shot is obviously fantastical, Destination Moon wanted to be as scientifically accurate as possible.
However, the filmmakers had both a limited scientific understanding of space and a limited toolbox for special effects.
In addition to using light bulbs for the stars in deep space, the cast also used a matte painting as a backdrop with small cracks to create the illusion of perspective on the moon.