Explorer 1: The Beginning of the Space Age (2007)
• December 1st, 2007 • 0h 53min
Documentary
Overview
"Explorer 1" is the second episode of "Beginnings Of The Space Age". The 60-minute documentary reveals how JPL and the U.S. Army could have been the first to place a satellite into Earth orbit, had they only been given the chance. That opportunity was lost when the Eisenhower administration, unsure of what the Soviet reaction would be to a satellite launched (in part) by the U.S. Army military, hesitated and assigned the project to a civilian-led program called Vanguard. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik in October 1957, shocking the world and creating the "Race for Space" in the midst of the Cold War. Only after the Vanguard rocket exploded on the launch pad were JPL and the U.S. Army given its chance. The result was Explorer 1, the first successful U.S. satellite, which also achieved the first space science results.
Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!
Trailer
Similar Movies
Storycorps: Eyes on the Stars
Released on: 2012-08-09
Animation, Documentary
On January 28, 1986, NASA Challenger mission STS-51-L ended in tragedy when the shuttle exploded 73 ...
God, the Universe and Everything Else
Released on: 1988-01-01
Documentary
In a studio setting, Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan (who joins them via satellite)...
The Wonderful: Stories from the Space Station
Released on: 2021-09-10
Documentary
In unusual circumstances, scientists from different countries work together to achieve a common scie...
Ultimate Mars Challenge
Released on: 2012-11-14
Documentary
With access to the scientists and engineers responsible for the Curiosity rover's on-the-ground expe...
Spacewoman
Released on: 2025-10-21
Documentary
Explores achievements of Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft, paving t...
Edge of Darkness
Released on: 2015-11-01
Documentary
The film features amazing scenes of places never before seen gathered by key space missions that cul...
Shadow Chasers
Released on: 2000-09-23
Documentary
This feature-length documentary is a portrait of eclipse chasers, people for whom solar eclipses - a...
In the Shadow of the Moon
Released on: 2007-01-19
Documentary, History
Archival material from the original NASA film footage – much of it seen for the first time – plus in...
Blue Planet
Released on: 1990-01-01
Documentary
From the unique vantage point of 200 miles above Earth's surface, we see how natural forces - volcan...
Cosmic Voyage
Released on: 1996-08-09
Documentary
The Academy Award® nominee Cosmic Voyage combines live action with state-of-the-art computer-generat...
Lunar
Released on: 2017-05-11
Documentary
In the year 1957 the cold war expands to space. The Soviet-Union sends Sputnik as the first manmade ...
The Voyagers
Released on: 2010-09-25
Documentary
In the summer of 1977, NASA sent Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 on an epic journey into interstellar space....
Space Chase USA
Released on: 2019-07-11
Documentary
Explores the extraordinary, transformative events Cocoa Beach residents found themselves engaged in ...
Mission Saturn
Released on: 2017-09-15
Documentary
NASA's biggest spacecraft, Cassini, plunges into Saturn in the final act of a 20-year mission showca...
Roving Mars
Released on: 2006-01-27
Documentary
Join the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity for an awe-inspiring journey to the surface of the myste...
Live from Space
Released on: 2014-03-14
Documentary, TV Movie
National Geographic and NASA are sending you into space - live! For the first time ever, board the I...
Destination: Pluto Beyond the Flyby
Released on: 2016-09-23
Documentary
The New Horizons team examines the latest findings and imagery from Pluto and the fringes of our sol...
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Released on: 2024-03-08
Documentary
Social isolation affects millions of people, even Mars-bound astronauts. A savvy NASA psychologist i...