EARTH FROM SPACE II – IN LIVING COLOR
On October 5, 1954, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) launched an Aerobee sounding rocket from the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. On board were two 16mm movie cameras peering out small holes, one with black and white film and the other with color film.
On October 5, 1954, an Aerobee rocket carrying two 16 mm movie cameras (including one with color film) captured the first color images of Earth from space, including images of a tropical storm over the state of Texas. 117 images from an altitude of 100 miles were used to create this photomosaic of the Earth from space in natural color for the first time. Credit: U. S. Navy / Naval Research Laboratory
When the rocket reached its maximum height of 100 miles above the Earth, the cameras began filming at a rate of 6 frames per second as the rocket […]