Zero-X is a fictional Earth spacecraft that first appeared in two of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation productions, the film Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and the television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Although publicity material for the various Supermarionation series, and the TV Century 21 comic, made references to connections between the Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet canons, the Zero-X is the only official link between the two series.
Design The Zero-X was designed by Derek Meddings, whose original drawing named the craft "ZX 26". AP Films commissioned Mastermodels in Slough to make two scale filming models. The larger of the pair, which was built at a cost of £2,500 (equivalent to £40,665 in 2025), was seven feet (2.1 m) long and weighed 50 pounds (23 kg). The puppet set design of the cockpit was inspired by the interiors of Concorde, a prototype of which the crew viewed at Filton Airfield. In 2012, the original MEV filming model, minus the cockpit canopy, was acquired by prop restoration company The Prop Gallery, which commissioned the still-trading Mastermodels to refurbish the miniature that it had built 46 years earlier.
Description The first crewed craft to land on Mars, the metallic-blue Zero-X comprises a number of detachable sections. The main body houses the chemical engines which provide the craft with the thrust required for lift-off and spaceflight. The Martian Excursion Vehicle (MEV; later renamed Martian Exploration Vehicle) is attached to the front of the main body where it serves as the craft's main control centre. During atmospheric ingress or egress, two remotely controlled "lifting bodies" (self-propelled "flying wing" aerofoils) are attached to the main body at the front and rear. A heatproof nose cone protects the MEV during take-off and provides further aerodynamic flow to the vehicle during atmospheric ascent; it is jettisoned just before leaving the Earth's atmosphere, and is the only non-reusable part of the spacecraft. The lifting bodies act as wings to allow the craft to operate from a runway like a conventional aeroplane, and carry multiple jet engines to reduce the amount of fuel needed for the main body's chemical engines. They separate from the main body when the craft is at a sufficiently high altitude and fly back to base; on re-entry, they rendezvous with the spacecraft and dock with it to again act as wings and provide propulsion in the atmosphere. On reaching Mars, the MEV detaches from the main body, which is left in orbit piloted by a single astronaut, and descends towards the planet's surface. At the surface the MEV extends caterpillar tracks to negotiate the rocky terrain. The Zero-X has a total velocity of 40 miles (64 km) per second and acceleration of up to 15 g-forces in emergencies. It is built by New World Aircraft Corporation, the same company that builds Skyship One.
Appearances
Thunderbirds Are Go (film) The first crewed mission to Mars ends in failure after the Zero-X is accidentally sabotaged by the Hood, who has stowed away on the craft to photograph its wing mechanisms. The crew manage to escape and two years later a second Zero-X successfully reaches Mars. After touching down on the surface, the MEV crew fire on a Martian "rock snake" believing it to be a lifeless rock formation, provoking retaliation by fire-shooting rock snakes. Although the crew escape, the lifting body control systems on the MEV take damage during the confrontation, causing the Zero-X to malfunction on its return to Earth. The craft crashes into Craigsville, United States (roughly 20 miles from its launch site, the fictitious Glenn Field Spaceport). The crew survive, saved at the last moment by International Rescue. In both missions, the Zero-X carries a crew of five (including two scientists), led by Captain Paul Travers as mission commander. The crew consists of Space Captain Greg Martin (the pilot), navigator Brad Newman, astrophysicist Dr Ray Pierce and astronomer Dr Tony Grant.
Comics A series featuring the adventures of the crew of the Zero-X appeared in TV Century 21 (later TV21) comic and its successors, including Countdown. The stories follow the "Mark III" Zero-X as it explores the other planets of the Solar System before venturing into interstellar space. They were written by Angus Allan and illustrated by Mike Noble, and published in TV Century 21 from January 1967 to September 1969. Yugoslavian comic Politikin Zabavnik ran reprints in Serbian. From 1969, the spacecraft appeared in a line of media titled Project SWORD, a Century 21 Merchandising acquisition. The 1970 Project SWORD annual featured the Zero-X "Mark 101", a 31st-century successor to the original that serves as an interplanetary passenger ship.
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Recommissioned by the Spectrum Organisation, the Zero-X returns to Mars in 2068 in search of the source of alien signals detected on Earth. The crew's hostile actions trigger a "war of nerves" with the Mysterons. After tracing the signals to the Mysterons' city, mission leader Captain Black gives the order to fire on the outpost after mistaking the Mysterons' imaging devices for weapons and fearing the MEV is about to be attacked. Following the destruction, the crew witness the re-materialisation of the Mysteron city and the Mysterons take control of Black's mind. Black vanishes on the Zero-X's return to Glenn Field, and soon after the Mysterons began hostilities against Earth.
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