Atlas Launch, Test 5462, 1961

What kind of data was gathered from the photographs, beside the souvenir? Can you infer information like how well the boosters are working, or temperature, etc?

As a retired space-nut from my childhood days, This is just amazing. The colours especially, it's slightly dream-like.

That's breathtaking. The most beautiful lift off photo I've ever seen.

That is so cool.

Oh man, it doesn't get better than that.

Thanks for the comments.

These were high speed frames taken such that in 100 feet, the missile went from static, to ignition to out-of-frame. It was moving pretty fast!

The film speed coupled with rate of movement gave us speed, as the missile was too low for radar. This was tracked by a slit camera looking at the black and white bands on the missile. These are, in a sense, a bar code that tells us drift and rotation rate as the missile locks onto its program. This film was used with the B&W slit camera to give us precission, rotation, roll, pitch and yaw.

So, we considered this to be Metric photography as well as still photography. There were 3 divisions at the Cape. MoPic, Still and Metric.

This test was rejected though. The users wanted a slower frame rate and reversal film. So, we ended up using a 5" aerial camera shooting Ektachrome or Anscochrome plus a battery of 4x5 Speed Graphics shooting Ektacolor-S for beauty shots.

Each camera was enclosed in a 1" thick quartz chamber to protect it from the blast. Some were ripped away from their mounting bolts and found hundreds of feet away in the palmetto scrub.

That is a great shot, and the color is fantastic.

I really enjoyed your description and knowledge of the film aspects of the Atlas launch and the
engineering reasons. I have printed many 70mm B&W and color frames and the sharpness and
stop action is amazing. Thanks.

I always wondered the reason for the black and white block-like markings on those early missles. Makes perfect sense. These photos are a priceless trove, PE.

Hi Ron , Thank you for posting this , it just so happens I am reading a book on

Eadweard Muybridge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eadweard_Muybridge

This photograph makes his work seem like child play , wonder where he could have taken his work if he were to live in this time and age...

Do they still photograph the launches for the same reasons they did in 1961 and if they do , do they use film or digital now?

Thank you,

ILYA