Presented by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, this is a 1965, black and white film that traces the early space age from Dr. Robert Goddard through Project Mercury. It opens on Main Street in front of a movie theatre in 1919, 2:14. Robert Hutchings Goddard was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Goddard successfully launched his rocket on March 16, 1926, ushering in an era of space flight and innovation. He and his team launched 34 rockets between 1926 and 1941, achieving altitudes as high as 2.6 km (1.6 mi) and speeds as fast as 885 km/h (550 mph). Dr. Goddard writes on a chalkboard, 1:50. Dr. Goddard launches his test rockets, 2:30. The Goddard workshop in Roswell, New Mexico is shown, 2:55. Goddard’s home movies are shown with his rocket firing experiments, 3:25. Rocket is launched, extends parachute and floats neatly to the ground, 4:39. Dr Goddard launches a 15 foot rocket, 5:00. The first supersonic rocket is launched, 5:15. A sea plane takes off, 5:56. Nazi Germany launches a liquid fueled rocket, 6:34. Headstone of Dr. Goddard is shown, 7:20. Scientist prep mice for flight in space, 7:40. Rocket launch, 8:00. Mice are shown in zero gravity, 8:12. Colonel John Paul Stapp (July 11, 1910 – November 13, 1999), M.D., Ph.D., was an American career U.S. Air Force officer, flight surgeon, physician, biophysicist, and pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on humans, 8:21. He was a colleague and contemporary of Chuck Yeager and became known as “the fastest man on earth”. His work on Project Manhigh pioneered many developments for the US space program. Sputnik II is shown, 9:00. First dog to orbit the earth is shown, 9:28. Redstone rocket launches American chimpanzee into space, 10:11. Helicopter deposits the chimp on deck of an aircraft carrier, 10:33. Yuri Gagarin is launched into space, 11:16. American astronauts go through training, 11:57. John Glenn is pictured, 12:13. John Glenn takes off 13:10. John Glenn’s capsule is retrieved, 13:30.
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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
