This 1950s newsreel contains a great deal of original Soviet film footage from the Sputnik I program, including animation that describes how the satellite was launched into orbit. It also shows the launch of Laika the canine astronaut, and discusses the desperate American research attempts dedicated towards catching up to the Russians. “Project Farside”, an American attempt to carry a rocket skyward to a launch point high above the Earth, is also shown.
Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957. It was a 58 cm (23 in) diameter polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. It was visible all around the Earth and its radio pulses were detectable. This surprise 1957 success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, a part of the larger Cold War. The launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments.
Sputnik itself provided scientists with valuable information. The density of the upper atmosphere could be deduced from its drag on the orbit, and the propagation of its radio signals gave information about the ionosphere.
Sputnik 1 was launched during the International Geophysical Year from Site No.1/5, at the 5th Tyuratam range, in Kazakh SSR (now at the Baikonur Cosmodrome). The satellite travelled at about 29,000 kilometres per hour (18,000 mph; 8,100 m/s), taking 96.2 minutes to complete each orbit. It transmitted on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz[6] which were monitored by amateur radio operators throughout the world.[7] The signals continued for 21 days until the transmitter batteries ran out on 26 October 1957.[8] Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere, after travelling about 70 million km (43.5 million miles) and spending 3 months in orbit.
American sounding rocket Project Farside was an attempt to reach extreme altitudes with the “reckon” concept. Using a four-stage solid-propellant rocket hung below a 106 188-m3 (3 750 000-ft3) balloon, altitudes approaching 6437 km (4000 mi) were reached during the fall of 1957. Farside was a four stage vehicle consisting of 4 x Recruit + 1 x Recruit + 4 x Arrow II + 1 x Arrow II.
Farside was an Air Force Office of Scientific Research project, using various instruments provided by the University of Maryland. Six rockets were built by Aeronutronic Systems, Inc. Bad telemetry precluded the discovery of the Van Allen belts during the Farside shots near Eniwetok.
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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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
