This Is Early Bird, “Communications Satellite Corporation Presents”, “Live Via Early Bird”, Eastman Color? Pink Fade

Dating to 1965 and produced by Communications Satellite Corp., or COMSAT, “Live Via Early Bird” is a fascinating film about the assembly and launch by NASA of the Early Bird communications satellite. Intelsat I (nicknamed Early Bird for the proverb “The early bird catches the worm”) was the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit, on April 6, 1965. It was built by the Space and Communications Group of Hughes Aircraft Company (later Hughes Space and Communications Company, and now Boeing Satellite Systems) for COMSAT, which activated it on June 28. It was based on the satellite that Hughes had built for NASA to demonstrate that communications via synchronous-orbit satellite were feasible. Its booster was a Thrust Augmented Delta (Delta D). After a series of maneuvers, it reached its geosynchronous orbital position over the Atlantic Ocean at 28° west longitude, where it was put into service.

Early Bird helped provide the first live TV coverage of a spacecraft splashdown, that of Gemini 6 in December 1965. Originally slated to operate for 18 months, Early Bird was in active service for four years, being deactivated in January 1969, although it was briefly activated in June of that year to serve the Apollo 11 flight when the Atlantic Intelsat satellite failed. It was deactivated again in August 1969 and has been inactive since that time (except for a brief reactivation in 1990 to commemorate its 25th launch anniversary), although it remains in orbit.

The Early Bird satellite was the first to provide direct and nearly instantaneous contact between Europe and North America, handling television, telephone, and telefacsimile transmissions. It was fairly small, measuring nearly 76 × 61 cm (2.5 × 2.0 feet) and weighing 34.5 kg (76 pounds).

Early Bird was one of the satellites used in the then record-breaking broadcast of Our World.

The film begins with an historical overview of communications including the first two-way instant communications via the telephone, transcontinental phone lines, trans-ocean phone lines, including the trans-Atlantic cable, and the space age. The film then shows in detail the Early Bird program, starting with assembly of the first and second stage Thrust Augmented Delta (TAD) launch vehicle; the TAD on launch pad at Cape Kennedy, Florida; night scenes of launch; Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey observing launch on closed circuit TV; INTs of White House as President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks on telephone; views of Comsat earth stations in England, Italy, France, Germany and Andover, Maine; INTs of Andover, Maine Comsat earth station as technicians work with control panels and computers, INTs of Comsat control center as personnel monitor the progress of the launch by telephone and computer links, INTs of Comsat earth station technicians observing the first TV transmissions via satellite. Also animation depicting the flight of the TAD, separation of the Early Bird from rocket booster, and the satellite in orbit.

The film also shows Telstar I at the 5:16 mark, the Federal Communications Commission, and more.

COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corporation) is a global telecommunications company, based in the United States, and with branches in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and several other countries in the Americas. Although it operates many kinds of data communication technologies, it is best known for its satellite communication services.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com