It was the period when Dan Dare epitomised the spirit of a new age. Now the Science Museum is taking the star of the Eagle comic as the symbol of an exhibition exploring how Britain reinvented itself after the Second World War as a hi-tech nation, with enhanced capabilities for manufacturing in everything from civilian jet airliners to domestic appliances.

Andrew Nahum, principal technology curator, said: “Dan Dare is emblematic of the technocratic spirit of the postwar era.” On show is a set of breathing gear used by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay for their Everest ascent in 1953. There is also a nuclear reactor control panel for British submarines reminiscent of the one seen in Bond film Dr No.

A bloodhound missile — a pillar of Britain's defence in the Cold War — hangs from the ceiling.

The exhibition also traces the development of appliances such as TVs, fridges and automatic kettles. Microwave ovens came directly from technology developed during the Second World War. There are also some of Dan Dare creator Frank Hampson's original storyboards, not previously seen in London.

The show is not all positive, however. It chronicles the crash of Comet 1, the world's first jet airliner, as well as a lost world of British goods which, by 1968, were losing out to overseas competition.

Dan Dare And The Birth Of Hi-Tech Britain runs until 25 October. Admission is free.