Contemporary media visions of the future seem to fall into two categories: the environmental wasteland and the sterile utopia. But at the midpoint of the 20th century, when the space race was blasting off and the coming decades seemed filled with adventure, the media projected a fascinating vision of the future inhabited by heroic space rangers, shiny atomic starships and strange metal robots. These days, posters, toys and other memorabilia from this space-age chapter in pop culture are highly collectible, and can bring high prices at antique shops and auctions.

Chicago art dealer Alan Koppel has been collecting futuristic artifacts for over 30 years. His collection includes over 100 antique toy robots from the 50 and 60's, NASA moon photos and original mercury space suits. Here he shares his passion for collecting the artifacts of the atomic age:

• An imagined future.
  As a kid, Koppel was always fascinated by imagined visions of the future, with their rocket cars, elevated cities, and people wearing strange clothing. Ideas of the future are often quite fantastical, as designers are projecting their own hopes and dreams into what they create.
  
• Robots.
  The first object he collected was a small toy robot. These days, people hear the word "robot" and think about a mechanical arm that welds cars together. But the robots Koppel loves are more like clunky versions of humans, complete with personalities.
  
• Design.
  From toy robots, Koppel moved on to collecting images of the future and space, including architectural renderings of futuristic buildings, designs for space age cars and other products, and NASA photographs.
  
• Where to buy.
  It's fun and exciting to hunt for objects with that atomic age flavor. Many stores specialize in 50s and 60s pop culture, and these are great places to find unique treasures, as long as you're willing to pay the price. Shoppers with smaller budgets will probably do better in regular antique shops, flea markets, and online auctions.

For more information about collecting space-age items, check out the following organizations or websites:

Alphaville: Space Toys
www.alphaville.com

Robert Gallego's World of Vintage Robots and Space Toys
www.nmia.com

Cybertoyz
www.cybertoyz.net

Neatstuff
www.neatstuff.net

Sci Fi Station
www.scifistation.com

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