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[Music Playing]

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The man-made satellite, Explorer, 
was injected into orbit at 22:48

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hours on 31 January 1958 as part 
of the United States contribution

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to the International Geophysical 
Year Program.

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This is the story of that historic
 launching, which will

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serve as a forerunner for free 
man’s further conquest of space.

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The United States Army Jupiter-C 
stands poised on its

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launching pad at Cape Canaveral, 
a needle-nosed giant anxious to

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split the heavens and bear aloft the 
satellite dubbed Explorer, containing

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some eighteen pounds of scientific 
instrumentation.

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For the missile scientists of 
Huntsville, Alabama, Ames, Iowa,

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and Pasadena, California, von Braun 
of Army Ballistic Missile Agency,

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van Allen of Iowa State, and Pickering 
of Cal Tech, for General Medaris

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and all the Army men behind the 
missiles, for the American people,

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from the man on the street to 
the man in the White House, this is a

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night of hope, a night that looks 
into the future. Hours ago,

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the countdown began, X minus 6 and 
still counting. X minus 5 and still

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counting. Tonight is the climax of 
months of preparation, the result of

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Army teamwork, uniting the efforts 
of the Army Ballistic

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Missile Agency and the Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory of the California Institute

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of Technology, whose scientists 
are seen here conferring during

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a preliminary phase of the project. 
The Cal Tech team was responsible

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for the assembly of the Explorer, for 
providing the two radio transmitters

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incorporated into the satellite, and 
they supplied the upper stage’s

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high-speed assembly in a design 
that radically departed from

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previously conceived satellite launchers.

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A spin balance test puts the Explorer 
satellite and its final stage

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rocket through their paces, along with 
this rotation launcher, a bucket of

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solid fuel rockets developed by the Cal 
Tech Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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At firing time, the bucket will rotate in
 this manner, spin-stabilizing the

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the upper stages of Jupiter-C
 like a rifle bullet.

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The first stage of the Army missile 
arrives at the Cape for test and

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assembly. It contains the proven 
Redstone missile engine, a liquid

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propellant power plant engineered 
by the Army Ballistic Agency.

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Missile Agency. It is the same rocket 
that helped solved the reentry

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problem arising when the nosecone of 
a ballistic missile leaves outer space

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and strikes the relatively heavy, 
thick atmosphere of Earth.

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The main stage has a diameter of seventy 
inches and measures approximately

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fifty-six feet in length. It will expend 
itself during the ascent and separate

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from the upper rocket stages
 falling back to Earth.

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During assembly, testing of the 
modified inertial guidance system

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and power plant continues in order to 
eliminate the likelihood of last-minute

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failure and to assure a stable, 
well controlled flight.

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And, at last, the main stage of 
Jupiter-C is ready to

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begin its journey to the
 launching pad.

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Technicians check out instrumentation 
and recording apparatus in

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central control.

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Now Army’s Challenger proudly 
elevates her nose and readies

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herself for final grooming. 
Once in the gantry crane,

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she will be married to her high-speed 
stages, the bucket of solid fuel

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rockets, that comprise the second 
stage of the Jupiter-C missile

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system, and the third and 
fourth stages, which are

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coupled to the payload, the 
Explorer satellite.

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The first stage of the vehicle will 
have done its job when

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the satellite has reached the prescribed 
distance from Earth. All

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other stages of the rocket will 
increase the speed for orbiting, but

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they will not send Explorer to 
a greater height.

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In the gantry, final assembly is 
completed.

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The intricate and dangerous process 
of fueling begins. Jupiter-C’s

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specially enlarged fuel tanks are 
dieting tonight on a hydrazine

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-based exotic fuel called hydyne, 
no ordinary alcohol this time.

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The missile’s special fuel will combine 
under pressure with liquid oxygen.

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In the spotlight now, Army’s 
Jupiter-C is ready. Anxiety

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riding with her, the last stage 
of the countdown begins.

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Phone circuits are working 
overtime. Reports come in

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to central control as each 
detailed step is completed.

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Recording instruments are 
set in motion, and there

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are tense moments of delay as 
eleventh-hour adjustments are made.

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X minus two and still counting.

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Until at last, the warning clacking 
sounds and the launching

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pad is clear. Now it is X minus
 ten seconds. X minus five seconds,

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four, three, two, one. Firing 
command.

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Jupiter-C is coming to life.

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[Sound of Rocket launching]

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Time, 22:48 hours, 31 January 
1958. Place,