Explorer 1 questions

1. Watching the Explorer 1 liftoff (on the Liftoff DVD), there is a
bright light shining near the top of the first stage, near where the
umbilical goes in. What is this light? It is visible for quite a
while after liftoff.

2. Why was Explorer 1 launched at night?
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Jud McCranie wrote:
1. Watching the Explorer 1 liftoff (on the Liftoff DVD), there is a
bright light shining near the top of the first stage, near where the
umbilical goes in. What is this light? It is visible for quite a
while after liftoff.

2. Why was Explorer 1 launched at night?
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1. Don't have the DVD so can't comment

2. The jet stream above the Cape was particularly unsettling. The
launch was delayed on the 29th, and again on the 30th. The next day
was their last chance or they'd have to lose their equipment until
after the Feb. 3 Vanguard launch.

The weather report on the morning of the 31st indicated that the
swiftly moving river of air had diverted north some hundred miles. At
around 2pm, the ABMA commander decided things were safe enough and
started the 8 hour countdown schedule. Explorer launched just 15
minutes ahead of schedule.

On 28 Aug 2006 18:05:35 -0700, "neopeius" wrote:

1. Don't have the DVD so can't comment

I've seen the light in other film too, but in those cases it was
already high enough that all you could see were the flames and that
light. The DVD shows it from liftoff, so the location of the light is
visible.
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Jud McCranie wrote:
On 28 Aug 2006 18:05:35 -0700, "neopeius" wrote:

1. Don't have the DVD so can't comment

I've seen the light in other film too, but in those cases it was
already high enough that all you could see were the flames and that
light. The DVD shows it from liftoff, so the location of the light is
visible.
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Feel free to e-mail me screencaps ^^

On 28 Aug 2006 19:16:11 -0700, "neopeius" wrote:

Feel free to e-mail me screencaps ^^

I don't know how to screen capture from a DVD playback.
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Jud McCranie wrote:
1. Watching the Explorer 1 liftoff (on the Liftoff DVD), there is a
bright light shining near the top of the first stage, near where the
umbilical goes in. What is this light? It is visible for quite a
while after liftoff.

2. Why was Explorer 1 launched at night?
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Here is a 28-min, 7.7-mb video, about Explorer 1 called, "The Big
Picture".
It's a video by the U.S. Army and available on the U.S. Army Redstone
Arsenal
website:

http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/asf/big_pic.asf
http://www.redstone.army.mil/history...r/welcome.html

Here's a link to the U.S. Army, 6.9-mb PDF monograph titled,
"Army Ordnance Satellite Program", it's about the early Explorer
satellites:

http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/pdf/sat/sat.pdf

On 28 Aug 2006 19:50:25 -0700, "Rusty"
wrote:

http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/asf/big_pic.asf

In this video, in the liftoff, (at 16+ minutes into the video) you can
briefly see the light in the period where the rocket is in the
spotlights (twice I think). Then you can briefly see it in a shot
where you can see only it and the flame. Both are very brief - 1-2
seconds each.
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On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:05:06 -0400, Jud McCranie
wrote:

In this video, in the liftoff, (at 16+ minutes into the video) you can
briefly see the light in the

You have to look closely, but it is there. As the arm is falling
over, you can see it just about where the cylindrical section ends.
Then in the shot where it is moving, you can see it for a fraction of
a second as it passes out of the spotlight at the top of the frame.
Then you can see it for a second or so in the dark sky.

It is much easier to see on the DVD, but I can't capture from my DVD.
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Jud McCranie wrote:
On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:05:06 -0400, Jud McCranie
wrote:

In this video, in the liftoff, (at 16+ minutes into the video) you can
briefly see the light in the

You have to look closely, but it is there. As the arm is falling
over, you can see it just about where the cylindrical section ends.
Then in the shot where it is moving, you can see it for a fraction of
a second as it passes out of the spotlight at the top of the frame.
Then you can see it for a second or so in the dark sky.

It is much easier to see on the DVD, but I can't capture from my DVD.
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No clue. I can't see the lights. Could they be running lights? How
about vernier rockets?

Jud McCranie wrote:

I've seen the light in other film too, but in those cases it was
already high enough that all you could see were the flames and that
light. The DVD shows it from liftoff, so the location of the light is
visible.



It's visible on the right side of his photo of the launch:
http://www.space.maljonicsdreams.com.../explorer1.jpg
I've always wondered about it also. Is it to aid tracking once the lower
part of the booster separates after engine burn-out?

Pat