T+INFINITY is the name of this film, which profiles part of the Air Force Space Program and the launch of the satellite Discoverer-1 in 1959. The USAF-sponsored development of launch vehicles for space applications known as CORONA is shown, with a Thor-Agena booster system in use. Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles that used Thor first stages and Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more famous Thor-Deltas, which founded the Delta rocket family. The first attempted launch of a Thor-Agena was in January 1959. The first successful launch was on February 28, 1959, with the launch of Discoverer-1.
The film shows the various components of the rocket including the various stages and the satellite itself, as well as its design and construction. Tracking of the mission is also shown at stations including at Oahu, Kodiak Alaska, and elsewhere. Hickham AFB is shown at the 20 minute mark with cargo planes standing by for aerial recovery of the satellite package (containing photographic exposures). Airborne pick-up is seen at the 22:25 mark.
The Corona program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force. The Corona satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), the People’s Republic of China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972. The name of this program is sometimes seen as “CORONA”, but its actual name “Corona” was a codeword, not an acronym.
Among other uses, the clandestine Corona program used Thor-Agenas from June 1959 until January 1968 to launch US military reconnaissance satellites operated by the CIA. During this program, Thor-Agena launch vehicles were used in 145 launch attempts now known to have been part of satellite surveillance programs.
Corona started under the name “Discoverer” as part of the WS-117L satellite reconnaissance and protection program of the US Air Force in 1956. The WS-117L was based on recommendations and designs from the RAND Corporation. The United States Air Force credits the Onizuka Air Force Station as being the “birthplace of the Corona program.” In May 1958, the Department of Defense directed the transfer of the WS-117L program to Advanced Research Projects Agency. In FY1958, WS-117L was funded by the AF at a level of US$108.2 million (inflation adjusted US$0.89 billion in 2016). For Discoverer, the Air Force and ARPA spent a combined sum of US$132.3 million in FY1959 (inflation adjusted US$1.07 billion in 2016) and US$101.2 million in FY1960 (inflation adjusted US$0.81 billion in 2016). According to John N. McMahon, the total cost of the CORONA program amounted to $US 850 million.
The Corona project was pushed forward rapidly following the shooting down of a U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union in May 1960.
Also, Alouette 1, Canada’s first satellite, was launched on a Thor-Agena-B.
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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
