In this silent home movie from June 1981, the Southerlands family visits John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The majority of the footage captures the facility’s Rocket Garden: an outdoor display of historic missiles, rockets, and launch vehicles used to propel astronauts or satellites into space. The first five rockets seen mounted upright are—from left to right—the Gemini-Titan II, Atlas-Agena, Mercury-Redstone, Thor-Delta, and Juno II. The Southerlands then see a Saturn IB launch vehicle, mounted on its side. (The grouping of upright rockets appear again, during which the Mercury-Atlas and Juno I, second and third from the left, can also be seen.) Only the Gemini-Titan II, Mercury-Redstone, Mercury-Atlas, and Saturn IB were used by NASA for manned space missions. Per their names, the Titan II launched Gemini flights while the Redstone and Atlas rockets powered those related to Project Mercury. The Saturn IB rocket, on the other hand, was used for Apollo 7 as well as several missions for the Apollo Applications Program.
Date Filmed: June 1981
Filmed by: The Southerland family
Program Duration: 00:35
Media: Super 8 Film
Audio: N/A
Film Stock: N/A
Film Stock Edge Code Date: 1981