The Spaceman¶
The Spaceman is the helmeted figure in white seen above the Lucky house on the night Amanda Lucky vanished, who turns out to be the Whateley twins' homemade Apollo 11 spacesuit, worn first by Abelforth Whateley in a robbery and later by Wilbur Whateley under the control of the Radford Moth.
| Type | Unidentified figure; costume |
| Aliases | Man in white with a helmet; astronaut twin; the "Spaceman" |
| Abilities | Leaves fingerprints; jogs calmly into the woods; psychically linked to the moth |
| Status | Costume recovered in the Whateley cellar (as of Radford Horror 08) |
| First appearance | Radford Horror 01 |
Description¶
Four-year-old Tyler describes "a spaceman" all in white with a helmet and a light shining on him, above or on the Lucky house, who "just went down" without obviously falling or using a ladder. (Radford Horror 01) An artist's sketch from the child's account is attached to the first case file and later posted by Molly Underhill (Radford Horror 01, Radford Horror 05).
The suit itself is a hand-sewn Mercury or Apollo 11 replica with an American flag patch and an Apollo command cap (Radford Horror 02, Radford Horror 06). See Spaceman suit.
History¶
Early theories¶
The team has no answer in Radford Horror 01. Kurt suggests a motorcyclist or a person in a suit and helmet and, privately, a hazmat-suited person; the Biz suspects a sleepy child mistook a motorcyclist; Sheriff Roosevelt thinks Tyler dreamed it. Out of character, Dante and Ezra joke that a spaceman took Amanda. (Radford Horror 01)
The robbery and the Whateleys¶
In Radford Horror 02 neighbor Meg Gunderson says Abe robbed a store wearing a homemade spacesuit made for a school presentation. At the sheriff's station the team reads the file: Abe threw a cinder block through the Radio Shack window, entered in the suit, could not lift heavy items (leaving fingerprints) and left with lightweight modems and a cellular phone, then bought a bus ticket to Richmond. The sheriff had not known about the suit and admits it "gives a different color" to the earlier conversation; Kurt notes Abe may be the only person in town with a spaceman outfit. (Radford Horror 02) See Radio Shack spacesuit robbery and Abelforth Whateley.
In Radford Horror 05 Molly Underhill reports that the only match for the fingerprints from the first crime scene is the electronics-store "spaceman" robbery, so there is "a pretty good chance that Abelforth Radford is back in town." She puts out an APB and has photos taken of his brother. (Radford Horror 05)
The astronaut in the woods¶
In Radford Horror 06 Huell points out a figure jogging into the woods, and Kurt identifies it through the scope as someone in an Apollo 11 astronaut suit. Huell chases and tackles him and pulls off the helmet: under the Apollo command cap is one of the Whateley twins. A huge silent craft descends. The boy says calmly, "It's okay. You don't have to fight this," and is lifted; as Huell hangs on above the tree line, the boy tells him, "It's okay. It's worth it." Huell falls and breaks his right arm. Kurt radios the other team, "Target is marked, maintain visual, track where it goes," and tells Andrew, "It's got the Whateley boy." (Radford Horror 06)
The suit pieces are later found discarded in the Whateley cellar beside a mummified teen in a NASA T-shirt, nailed to the wall. Dick Baxter plants a live radio bug behind the flag patch. (Radford Horror 06)
Resolution¶
The police theory in Radford Horror 08 is a hidden basement containing the spaceman costume and a journal, with the cadaver likely Abelforth and Wilbur the culprit. Radford Horror 07 has already shown Wilbur, naked and scarred, in the church with the moth, which makes him the one the team chased in the suit. (Radford Horror 07, Radford Horror 08) See Wilbur's journal.
In Radford Horrors 04 Dante (as Kurt) speculates that the Emporium raid might involve "the astronaut kid," enthralled by a juvenile moth, and Wilbur is called the "Astronaut Kid." Kurt also tells Daniel Webster a simplified "Whateley spaceman story" in which Wilbur's brother, a space enthusiast, made an accurate astronaut costume and went around kidnapping people in it. Webster says it makes him feel a little better. (Radford Horrors 04)
What remains unknown¶
It is never established whether Tyler's sighting above the Lucky house was Wilbur, Abelforth or the robber from the earlier Radio Shack incident; the only link is the match to the suit. Radford Horror 05 gives the fingerprint suspect as "Abelforth Radford," a variant of his name. (Radford Horror 01, Radford Horror 05)