ATLAS READY

Produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics, this color film presents the Atlas Missile, the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family, as well as one of the first large liquid-fueled rockets. The first successful flight of a highly instrumented Atlas missile to full range occurred 28 November 1958, and the film probably dates from that time period. Atlas ICBMs were deployed operationally from 31 October 1959 to 12 April 1965 Opening title: ATLAS READY over an image of a red telephone buzzing (:11-:22). Vandenberg Air Force Base, headquarters for Strategic Air Command (SAC) located 9.2 miles northwest of Lompoc, California. Atlas missile moves from an underground silo on an elevator and into position, ready for launch. Air Force crew looks up at the Atlas. Inside a blockhouse control room, launch crew monitors the Atlas. Engineers with headsets watch monitors. Buttons illuminate confirming that the launch status is go (:23-2:37). A red telephone has a direct line to SAC in Omaha, Nebraska. Outside the blockhouse, antennas are arrayed in a series of long, pipe-like structures Shot of the missile with "Strategic Air Command" painted on its side (3:46). Men monitor if the missile is on its correct path. Air Police are responsible for security. Aerial shot of the Atlas missile. Atlas stands alone. Men radio in (2:38-4:25). A man enters bunker and the doors automatically close shut. A man on a headset radios in. Screens show the missile. Men work in the control room. Loop Test button turns from red to yellow. Atlas missile is getting ready to launch. Smoke or vaporizing propellant billows from the missile. A button is pressed, an antenna moves slowly (4:26-5:58). Missile ready button is green. A man gives orders on his headset. Flight pressurized button turns green. Men wear headsets, speak orders, and monitor screens. Radar antenna. The Atlas Missile is successfully launched (7:14). It heads downrange. A radar antenna follows it. High in the sky is the Atlas missile (5:59-8:13). End credits (8:14-8:22). The SM-65 Atlas was t It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dynamics at an assembly plant located in Kearny Mesa, San Diego. Atlas became operational in October 1959, but was soon made obsolete as an ICBM by new development, and was retired from this role by 1965. Atlas required long preparation times which made it unsuitable for a quick launch ICBM. However, this was not a requirement for planned space launches, and so Atlas-derived launch vehicles served a long history as space launchers. Even before its ICBM use ended in 1965, Atlas had placed four Project Mercury astronauts in orbit and was becoming the foundation for a family of successful space launch vehicles, most notably Atlas Agena and Atlas Centaur. Mergers led to the acquisition of the Atlas Centaur line by the United Launch Alliance. Today ULA supports the larger Atlas V, which combines the Centaur upper stage with a new booster. Until 2001, many retired Atlas ICBMs were refurbished and combined with upper stages to launch satellites.

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Transcription

Atlas ready this is vandenberg air force base headquarters for the first missile division of the Strategic Air Command it is the United States Air Force's first operational ICBM missile base and spread out over its thousands of acres are launch sites for both intermediate range and intercontinental ballistic missiles from these towers now ready the Strategic Air Command will launch the Atlas until September 9th we had no operational ICBM capability all previous Atlas launchings have been research and development tests performed at Cape Canaveral for the air force by convair astronautics development of the atlas has been under the direction of the air research and development command through its ballistic missile division over a thousand industrial teams contributed their talents to bring atlas from basic design to operational capability in less than five years the first app was launched from vandenberg was accomplished by an air force crew operating from this complex these Air Force crews trained for their job at convair astronautics and at Vandenberg they are men of the 576 strategic missile squadron first missile division all of the electrical and mechanical equipment required to launch Atlas is remotely controlled from the blockhouse which contains the most advanced checkout and launch control equipment yet devised the consoles in this room control all three at was pads the five men at these stations will be in control of the tactical training launch you are about to see and are on 24-hour standby in the event of an alert an adjoining room houses check out equipment which is almost completely automated decks of punched cards are used to activate the system tactical launch mode start the status of individual parts is displayed on the console and on a printed paper tape this display in the control center indicates the status for group so these systems the use of automatic check out equipment makes it possible to check thousands of items in a matter of minutes to keep missiles and launch equipment ready for firing on 15 minutes notice the command post is about two miles from the Atlas launchers it is the clearinghouse for all range information and in the event of an actual retaliatory action would serve as the nerve center of all tactical operations at Vandenberg the officers in charge are only seconds away from this direct line to Strategic Air Command headquarters in Omaha Nebraska in the event of an attack on the United States a strategic decision to launch an atlas would come through this instrument guidance of the missile through its powered flight is also centered in this building the general electric guidance antennas receive a continuous signal from the missile this communication is analyzed by a Burroughs electronic computer which accurately determines if the missile is on its proper course if it isn't a return signal goes out to atlas telling it to correct its flight path among the many additional units required to support a missile training launch our air police responsible for security air force instrument and camera groups and rain safety when all upper levels of the missile have been checked and secured the access tower is removed Atlas now stands alone ready automated machines will finish its preparation for flight on my mark p minus twelve mark lco here Roger Thank You else you off come on operator initiate your loop this conference I'll see you here Roger we had to go here also green Emma's on you on my mark t minus four mark are you go Roger camera control cameras girl cameras are going as the area clear to launch Roger wouldn't be are you go go Tony please go minus 70 mark adding this already green Roger go ahead Roger I have a green light commit start minus 60 mark minus 40 mark minus-30 mark minus 20 mar minus n mark amazon nice kill Roger we got it right thank you electronic eyes followed the flight of Atlas long after it had disappeared from human sight less than 30 minutes later the first operational ICBM flight was history atlas traveled 4,300 miles south west across the Pacific Ocean the nosecone impacted near Wake Island on target a highly successful first ICBM flight for the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force you

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