This late 1950s black and white documentary details the U.S. Air Force’s IGY (International Geophysical Year) Satellite Program, begun in 1955 under President Eisenhower. It is also sponsored by the General Electric Miniature Lamp Department. People wearing headphones listen to the countdown for the launch of the 1958 Explorer I artificial satellite (9:10-1:15). A young boy looks at a picture of a rocket in a book in a 1950s decorated living room. Pictures in a book show concepts of a flying rocket approaching the moon, an imagined space suit for that time, different satellite designs, and a space station (1:16-2:23). The narrator holds up a small model of a round satellite with spokes (2:30-3:00). Civilian volunteers enter an Air Force classroom (3:01-3:20). Civil Air Patrol planes are shown, followed by marching members. A close-up is shown of a General Electric Flashlight Lamps box. A flashlight is attached to the suction end of a plunger (The Bug), which is then towed behind a Civil Engineer plane (shown is N2091A) (3:21-4:30). A volunteer female astronomer looks through a telescope as a makeshift satellite passes by, practicing for viewing real satellites in the future (4:31-4:44). The narrator sits in a wing-back chair, hands’ tented, and explains the importance of the satellite program (4:45-5:45). In the tracking station, a man adjusts a bank of knobs and dials, to enhance the reception from the satellite radio transmitters. A precision tracking camera is readied for use (5:46-6:15). The 1957 “Daily News” (5-cent paper) proclaims “Russian Baby Moon ‘Sighted’”. An article inside is titled “Soviet Launches First Moon”, an article about the launch of Sputnik I, which was about the size of a beach ball in comparison to today’s satellites, and another titled “US Scientists See a New Era; Our Satellite Still Unborn” (6:16-6:36). Individuals enter the IGY Vanguard Computing Center in Washington, D.C. An officer loads key punch cards into a computer and flips the switch. Various lights flash. The results are shown after being printed on a line printer (6:37-7:19). A rocket model sits on a desk as military men view a board diagram of orbital projections. A U.S. map is rolled out and covers the desktop. Fingers point to the outlined routes (7:20-8:25). The National Headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol sign is shown. An officer broadcasts into a headset microphone, his message received at the other locations. Civil Air Patrol offices have large computers and maps on the wall (8:26-9:07). A 1950s station wagon pulls into a suburban house driveway. A female Civil Air Patrol uniformed member in broadcasts information and uses a telephone. A male Civil Air Patrol uniformed member responds via a mobile radio unit. A tall antennae is attached to his 1950s station wagon. A portable communications unit is shown at the observation site. A photo tracker camera is prepared to take pictures of the night sky (9:08-10:47). The launch pad is shown and the Jupiter-C rocket moves into position. The IGY Explorer I is launched January 31, 1958 (10:48-11:51).

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

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