This historic film shows the U.S. Army’s Ballistic Missile Agency and its work to develop the USA’s first large ballistic missile and space rockets, with a focus on the work of scientist Wernher von Braun and Major General John B. Medaris, the commander of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA). ABMA was established at Redstone Arsenal on 1 February 1956 and would operate for four years before the space program would be de-militarized. During that time, enormous technological challenges were overcome by the ABMA resulting in some of the most critical, pioneering successes of the space program.

The film begins with footage of WWI as Dr. Robert Goddard demonstrates rockets to the Army. At 3:46, Goddard and Leslie Skinnard shown developing rockets and the bazooka. At 4:00, small rockets are shown being used in WWII. At 4:20, Jet Propulsion Lab experiments with longer-range rockets and missiles are seen including 1945 sounding rocket tests. At 4:55, German rocket development is seen at Pennemunde, with Dr. Wernher von Braun building the V-2. von Braun is seen surrendering to the USA forces at 6:30, and a short time later he and dozens of other former Nazis are moved to White Sands, New Mexico where tests continue with Americanized V-2s. The “bumper” and WAC Corporal rocket is seen at 7:20, and its successful launch in 1949. The Corporal ballistic missile is seen at 8:20 and the Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Alabama is shown at 8:50.

The Redstone missile was the first major project assigned to ABMA at Redstone Arsenal. The Redstone was a direct descendant of the V-2 missile developed by the von Braun team in Germany during World War II. Its first launch is seen at 10:00, and while there are setbacks it is clear by 1954 that America’s first large ballistic missile will soon be operational. Von Braun suggests the missile be used to loft an Earth satellite at 11:50, known as “Project Orbiter”. At 12:18, Project Vanguard is announced and “Orbiter” cancelled.

(Project Vanguard was chosen by the DOD Committee on Special Capabilities, over the ABMA’s proposal to use a modified Redstone ballistic missile as a satellite launch vehicle, ABMA was ordered to stop work on launchers for satellites and focus, instead, on military missiles.)

Von Braun continued work on the design (as seen at 13:20) for what became the Jupiter-C IRBM (seen at 14:17). This was a three-stage rocket, which, by coincidence, could be used to launch a satellite in the Juno I configuration. In September 1956, the Jupiter-C was launched with a 30-lb (14-kg) dummy satellite. It was generally believed that the ABMA could have put a satellite into orbit at that time, had the US government allowed ABMA to do so. A year later, the Soviets launched Sputnik 1. When the Vanguard rocket failed, a Redstone-based Jupiter-C launched America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, on 31 January 1958. Redstone was later used as a launch vehicle in Project Mercury. Redstone was also deployed by the U.S. Army as the PGM-11, the first missile to carry a nuclear warhead.

Studies began in 1956 for a replacement for the Redstone missile. Initially called the Redstone-S (solid), the name was changed to MGM-31 Pershing and a contract was awarded to The Martin Company, beginning a program that lasted 34 years.

At 16:33, the successful launch of Sputnik is seen, harming America’s prestige. Soon Gen. Maderis has a green light to go head with work on a satellite launch. The Vanguard rocket produced by the rival team failed on launch (17:40), putting added pressure of the ABMA team to succeed.

In early 1958, NACA’s “Stever Committee” included consultation from the ABMA’s large booster program, headed by Wernher von Braun.Von Braun’s Group was referred to as the “Working Group on Vehicular Program.”

At 19:32, 84 days after getting the assignment, the ABMA succeeds in placing an American satellite in orbit aboard the Juno. Explorer 1 was the first satellite of the United States, launched on January 31, 1958 at 22:48 Eastern Time (equal to February 1, 03:48 UTC) atop the first Juno booster from LC-26 at the Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida. It was the first spacecraft to detect the Van Allen radiation belt, returning data until its batteries were exhausted after nearly four months. It remained in orbit until 1970.

In March 1958, ABMA was placed under the new Army Ordnance Missile Command (AOMC) along with Redstone Arsenal, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, White Sands Proving Ground, and the Army Rocket and Guided Missile Agency (ARGMA). General Medaris was placed in command of AOMC and BG John A. Barclay took command of ABMA.

In December 1958, a satellite launch on a Juno II rocket is shown, but the satellite known as Pioneer 3 failed to achieve orbit. A second probe is shown launched at 25:22, on March 3, 1959, and the probe known as Pioneer 4 travels past the sun. At 27:00, a follow-up launch with monkeys Able and Baker are shown launched into space. (Miss Baker (1957 – November 29, 1984) was a squirrel monkey who became, along with rhesus monkey Miss Able, one of the first two animals launched into space by the United States and recovered alive. All previous United States efforts at launching monkeys to space had met with the animals’ demise from suffocation or parachute failure, and Soviet Union efforts fared little better, to the chagrin of animal rights activists.)

On 1 July 1960, the AOMC space-related missions and most of its employees, facilities, and equipment were transferred to NASA, forming the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Wernher von Braun was named MSFC director. This would begin the civilian development of spacecraft and rockets including the Jupiter series of rockets. At 30:00, the final Army space shot is seen, as ABMA was abolished and the remnants were folded directly into AOMC. In 1962, AOMC was restructured into the new US Army Missile Command (MICOM).

Incidentally, General Medaris is credited with stating that “if rockets had biblical names, the V-2 would be called Adam.”

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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