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U.S. Air Force International Geophysical Year Satellite Program "Needle in the Sky" 84444 (1955)

1955 · Short film · 13 min

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Synopsis

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…

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Details

Running time
13 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

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