A 1962 news clip of the hydrogen-powered American Centaur missile exploding after take-off
Title
A 1962 news clip of the hydrogen-powered American Centaur missile exploding after take-off
Creator
WGBH via Digital Commonwealth
Subject
Space Race
Cold War
American Centaur missile
Description
Following Yuri Gagarin’s successful orbit in 1961 and President John F. Kennedy’s ambitious plans for investment in space exploration, the American space program suffered a setback when the unmanned Centaur rocket exploded after takeoff on May 8, 1962. The Centaur was the rocket, or booster, that was designed to propel satellites and other spacecraft into orbit. The explosion was caused by a defect that resulted in the combustion of the sensitive hydrogen fuel system. As the voice-over suggests, even failures were learning opportunities.
Publisher
Digital Public Library of America
Date
1962-05-08
Type
Video, Movie
Format
Duration: 1 minute, 16 seconds
Identifier
Centaur Rocket Explosion
Source
Primary Source Sets > Space Race
Language
English
Coverage
Space Race
Cold War
Local URL
https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/space-race/sources/1712
Files
Collection
Citation
WGBH via Digital Commonwealth, “A 1962 news clip of the hydrogen-powered American Centaur missile exploding after take-off,” Santa Clara University Digital Exhibits, accessed November 22, 2024, https://dh.scu.edu/exhibits/items/show/4180.
Embed
Copy the code below into your web page
Item Relations
This item has no relations.