This historic 1962 NASA film details the modern space program; highlighting current advances as well as future projected missions. The film includes footage of the Scout Rocket Booster, mission control, Mercury missions as well as the TIROS and ECHO 1 radio signal satellite missions and the lunar probe. Project Echo was the first passive communications satellite experiment. The satellite was constructed by Gilmore Schjeldahl's GT Schjeldahl Company in Northfield, Minnesota. Spacecraft’s were launched in 1960 and 1964. Communication signals were bounced from satellites to one communications center to the next. TIROS is a series of early weather satellites launched by the US beginning with TIROS 1 in 1960. This was the first satellite capable of remote sensing of the earth. Harry Wexler promoted the program. This film opens with a launching (:38). The S 15 (1:27); the gamma ray astronomy satellite operates as a miniature observatory. The Scout; a four stage launch vehicle is pictured (2:15). Mission control stands by (2:39) following a launching. Echo 1's stage separation (3:14) is demonstrated in animation. A shot of the globe forecasts Echo's planned orbit (3:30). Goldstone, California is highlighted as one of the communications points (3:52). The other was Bell Tower at New Jersey (3:57). The countdown begins (4:23). Close shots watch the launch (4:52). The main stage cut off follows (5:27). Trinidad witnesses the inflation of the sphere (5:43). Data received at Cape Canaveral (5:55) shows the planned orbit was achieved. Australia reported visual sightings of the sphere (6:04). JPL picked up Echo signals (6:25). NASA had discovered a simple and economic method for relief of overcrowded communications lines (7:04). TIROS satellites were launched in 1960 (7:53). TIROS II and III are highlighted in animation (8:07). Satellites captured images of cloud coverage over the earth (8:22). Retrieved photographs (8:26) are inspected. A close shot of a developed image from the satellite follows (8:40). An image of one of seven hurricanes (8:48) which struck the Atlantic coast during 1961 was captured by TIROS 3. Hurricane Ester (8:56) is pictured captured two days prior to the start of the storm. Solar cells (9:41); a relatively new science, are put to use (9:54). Operations at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center at Greenbelt, Maryland (10:59) is featured as the heart of the international ground community (11:09). Project Mercury was tracked and planned here (11:15). A flight simulator enables astronauts to experience conditions encountered entering and leaving space (11:38). In May of 1961 (12:01) Alan Shepard heads for the Freedom Mercury 7 capsule (12:06). Freedom 7 is launched (12:46). Alan addresses ground support from the shuttle in space (13:05). The shuttle is retrieved (13:13) after splash down. Alan jumps out (13:17). Virgil Grissom heads for his launching (13:26). Scenes from February 1962 (13:48) show John Glenn readying for takeoff with Friendship 7 (13:51). The press witness (14:30) and the countdown begins (14:34). Smoke billows as the engine ignites (14:48). John Glenn (14:51) experiences his first nightfall (16:09). The craft begins to descend (17:08). Navy men scour the horizon (17:49). Mercury's splash down is captured (17:59) in the Atlantic recovery area. Astronaut Carpenter is picked up (18:25). The X 15 project (19:48) provided valuable information for the life sciences. It was designed to explore flight issues encountered at high speeds and altitudes (20:15). The countdown leads to a launching (20:48). The film turns to detail future operations including moon exploration (21:43). The Ranger (21:47) was designed to land instrumentation on the moon (21:51). The first portion of the two part craft carries a TV (22:04). The Surveyor is another unmanned spacecraft (22:23) designed for a soft landing on the moon. Cameras would capture images of the moon (22:47). The Saturn booster (24:05) was to be used during the first Apollo flight. Saturn was shipped to Cape Canaveral for launching (24:41). The surface tower created to hold the rocket (24:55) is pictured. The craft is launched (25:28). The film concludes with spending plans for future programs (26:10) and the NASA seal (26:55).
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