First Footage Taken in Space - 1959

Footage taken from a Thor missile launched on May 12, 1959 by a special "data capsule" containing a 16mm camera. Originally designed by GE to record footage of the missile itself for later analysis, the engineers quickly realized that the device could record images of the Earth itself. From the GE Film Catalog: "On May 12, 1959, Air Force Thor Missile Number 187 lifted off its launching pad at Cape Canaveral and headed Southeast out over the Atlantic Missile Range, To most observers, it was apparently just another routine test; however, this flight was different. In its blunt General Electric Mark 2 nose cone, Thor 187 carried a very special payload installed in a small data capsule that would be recovered when the flight was over. As usual, the reliable Thor was right on course. Fifteen minutes and 1500 miles after leaving the launching site, it came down so close to the predicted impact point that crew-members on the recovery ship standing by actually witnessed the data capsule plu