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
Destiny in Space
Released on: 1994-01-17
Documentary
Travel alongside the astronauts as they deploy and repair the Hubble Space Telescope, soar above Ven...
Mission to Mir
Released on: 1997-10-17
Documentary
This film shows how far we have come since the cold-war days of the 50s and 60s. Back then the Russi...
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....
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...
Moon Landing Live
Released on: 2019-07-20
Documentary
July 1969. America made history and sent the first humans to the moon. High-quality NASA footage and...
National Geographic: Journey to the Edge of the Universe
Released on: 2008-12-06
Documentary
In one single, epic camera move we journey from Earth's surface to the outermost reaches of the univ...
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 ...
Sally
Released on: 2025-01-28
Documentary
Sally Ride's groundbreaking journey as the first American woman in space concealed a deeply personal...
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...
L'Aventure Rosetta : Aux origines de la vie
Released on: 2015-05-30
Documentary, TV Movie
It was November 12, 2014, at 5:03pm. Humanity had just accomplished a feat that will forever mark it...
Shadow Chasers
Released on: 2000-09-23
Documentary
This feature-length documentary is a portrait of eclipse chasers, people for whom solar eclipses - a...
Moonscape
Released on: 2013-12-29
Documentary
Moonscape is a free and freely downloadable high-definition documentary about the first manned Moon ...
The Last Man on the Moon
Released on: 2016-02-26
Documentary, History
The 1960s was an extraordinary time for the United States. Unburdened by post-war reparations, Ameri...
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...
Apollo 13: Survival
Released on: 2024-03-08
Documentary, History
Using original footage and interviews, this documentary tells the nail-biting story of Apollo 13 and...
Project Gemini: Bridge to the Moon
Released on: 2003-02-25
Documentary
All of the necessary technologies required to reach the Moon was first tested during Project Gemini,...
Saving Skylab: America's First Space Station
Released on: 2020-04-18
Documentary, History
How an electric lineman's tool manufacturer in Centralia, Missouri, helped save the first American s...
Failure Is Not an Option
Released on: 2003-08-24
Documentary, History
The Space Race comes alive through the eyes of the ultimate insider - retired NASA Mission Control F...
Spacewoman
Released on: 2025-10-21
Documentary
Explores achievements of Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft, paving t...