1 00:00:01,195 --> 00:00:05,404 They were once the most advanced buildings and structures on the planet. 2 00:00:06,820 --> 00:00:10,362 The best achievements in design and construction . 3 00:00:11,404 --> 00:00:16,570 Today they are abandoned, polluted and dead. 4 00:00:20,696 --> 00:00:23,112 On today's show, we aim for the stars and find out 5 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,237 why did unwanted battleship guns fire on us 6 00:00:27,362 --> 00:00:30,529 gain important information about the limits of space. 7 00:00:33,153 --> 00:00:37,237 I had no idea that space technology was something else, 8 00:00:37,362 --> 00:00:40,112 as the rockets that are launched take off and fly away. 9 00:00:40,237 --> 00:00:45,612 Shooting upwards with the big cannon does the same job. 10 00:00:46,820 --> 00:00:50,529 We investigate how the shattered remains of a secret Nazi base 11 00:00:50,654 --> 00:00:53,278 got with the development of the pioneering V2 rocket 12 00:00:53,737 --> 00:00:56,820 first on the way to the new world. 13 00:00:59,612 --> 00:01:04,778 People forget that the beginning of the space program was covered by a shadow 14 00:01:05,028 --> 00:01:10,195 the plan was military and not about sending a man to the moon. 15 00:01:11,028 --> 00:01:14,987 The V2 rocket was a remarkable piece of machinery, 16 00:01:15,237 --> 00:01:19,696 which appeared out of nowhere and then attacked with deadly precision. 17 00:01:20,820 --> 00:01:24,737 We investigate a forgotten facility in the Arizona desert, 18 00:01:24,903 --> 00:01:28,945 to find out if it is the real home of America's space program. 19 00:01:30,237 --> 00:01:33,487 They did something that had never been done before in this country. 20 00:01:33,612 --> 00:01:36,195 We were doing science here for the benefit of humanity. 21 00:01:37,487 --> 00:01:41,028 And we reveal a strange connection to an abandoned oil barrel 22 00:01:41,153 --> 00:01:44,696 and between trying to survive in the Cold War era . 23 00:01:46,612 --> 00:01:51,237 This soon led to the encapsulation of monkeys 24 00:01:51,654 --> 00:01:53,945 and to launch into space. 25 00:02:07,028 --> 00:02:09,570 Abandoned Buildings 26 00:02:09,903 --> 00:02:12,737 A space mission 27 00:02:15,028 --> 00:02:19,195 For centuries, mankind has been fascinated by the stars. 28 00:02:21,945 --> 00:02:25,945 Many civilizations tried to understand what could be seen from Earth. 29 00:02:26,737 --> 00:02:30,777 But the truth, like the stars, remained elusive. 30 00:02:33,487 --> 00:02:37,278 Only by the 20th century had science developed far enough, 31 00:02:37,404 --> 00:02:40,612 to provide the opportunity to escape from the grip of Earth's gravity. 32 00:02:50,153 --> 00:02:53,987 One of the first space rocket programs of the 20th century 33 00:02:54,112 --> 00:02:57,820 was located in Peenemünde on the German island of Usedom. 34 00:03:05,487 --> 00:03:08,903 Only a few meters away from the Baltic Sea is hidden under pine trees 35 00:03:09,153 --> 00:03:12,320 mounds of crumbling concrete and twisted metal. 36 00:03:15,362 --> 00:03:21,153 It was once the most secret military facility in Nazi Germany 37 00:03:21,612 --> 00:03:23,987 Test stand number seven. 38 00:03:29,195 --> 00:03:34,654 Dr. Philipp Aumann is the director of the Historical Technical Museum in Peenemünde . 39 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,696 He has researched the history of these mysterious ruins. 40 00:03:40,861 --> 00:03:45,861 Peenemünde was the first official rocket project. 41 00:03:46,153 --> 00:03:48,195 in Germany and around the world. 42 00:03:48,362 --> 00:03:54,028 The main theme of the ideology of the future was space exploration. 43 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,487 The engineers who worked here were nationalists and soldiers 44 00:03:59,612 --> 00:04:03,487 and when they created this mighty weapon, 45 00:04:03,612 --> 00:04:07,070 they had no problem with serving Germany. 46 00:04:10,487 --> 00:04:13,278 Governments were willing to fund this program, 47 00:04:13,404 --> 00:04:17,445 because they wanted to dominate Europe militarily. 48 00:04:17,987 --> 00:04:21,612 This flow of funding and focused effort meant that 49 00:04:21,737 --> 00:04:26,404 that rocket technology developed in a very short time 50 00:04:26,529 --> 00:04:31,362 Creating V2 in just two years is a phenomenal result. 51 00:04:38,362 --> 00:04:42,654 At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a young engineer, Werner von Braun 52 00:04:42,860 --> 00:04:47,070 and his experience in rocketry was just what Germany needed. 53 00:04:48,112 --> 00:04:50,612 The man who could create long-range weapons. 54 00:04:52,987 --> 00:04:57,612 Werner von Braun oli juhtiv raketiinsener. 55 00:04:58,445 --> 00:05:03,404 He and his colleagues were engineers and had a technological problem, 56 00:05:03,529 --> 00:05:05,945 which they longed to solve. 57 00:05:07,445 --> 00:05:11,903 He was very enthusiastic about the possibilities of rocketry 58 00:05:12,028 --> 00:05:14,778 to open for space exploration. 59 00:05:14,903 --> 00:05:19,696 Nothing came of it during the war years , but when he moved to America, 60 00:05:19,945 --> 00:05:23,028 his work became a cornerstone of the Apollo program 61 00:05:23,153 --> 00:05:26,820 and that program put people on the moon in the 60s and 70s. 62 00:05:30,612 --> 00:05:34,070 Von Braun received the full support of the German military 63 00:05:34,570 --> 00:05:39,320 and with Hitler's rise to power, the space program gained momentum. 64 00:05:40,570 --> 00:05:44,404 In 1936, construction began in Peenemünde 65 00:05:44,696 --> 00:05:48,153 the world's first missile test site. 66 00:05:50,696 --> 00:05:52,945 A special launch platform was constructed, 67 00:05:53,070 --> 00:05:56,362 from where the rockets were launched into the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea 68 00:05:57,070 --> 00:05:58,630 and fished out for analysis. 69 00:06:02,237 --> 00:06:06,404 See oli exam status seven ehk Katsestend number side. 70 00:06:12,737 --> 00:06:15,362 There is a wall of sand around here. 71 00:06:15,529 --> 00:06:19,860 It surrounds the entire starting point and turns it into an arena. 72 00:06:23,237 --> 00:06:27,987 The rockets were launched from here. 73 00:06:31,987 --> 00:06:37,028 They fired over 300 rockets, 74 00:06:38,237 --> 00:06:42,737 thinking that they are hidden by a secret and no one will find them. 75 00:06:44,362 --> 00:06:47,778 In 1936, the Peenemünde project was started , 76 00:06:48,362 --> 00:06:51,112 to develop a completely new type of rocket 77 00:06:51,903 --> 00:06:54,945 and their first rocket was not a rocket at all. 78 00:06:55,778 --> 00:06:58,945 It was a bomb. V1. 79 00:06:59,945 --> 00:07:02,945 It was powered by a pulse jet engine. 80 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,237 The Germans released over 7,000 of them, 81 00:07:07,696 --> 00:07:10,195 of which more than 2,000 reached London. 82 00:07:19,153 --> 00:07:24,195 1942 in October , the rocket launched successfully for the first time, 83 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:28,237 forever associated with von Braun - V2. 84 00:07:38,487 --> 00:07:43,612 Although rising to only 84 kilometers, it was still a milestone for the future. 85 00:07:45,112 --> 00:07:49,737 12 meters long and 1.5 meters in diameter 86 00:07:50,112 --> 00:07:55,487 The V2 weighed 62 tons and carried a ton of explosives. 87 00:07:58,487 --> 00:08:02,737 The V2 rocket is an impressive weapon in itself 88 00:08:03,195 --> 00:08:08,404 and is said to be the origin of all rocket technology. 89 00:08:10,529 --> 00:08:14,112 But there was all this infrastructure around the rocket 90 00:08:14,237 --> 00:08:17,529 and the facility that allowed the Germans to do what they did. 91 00:08:17,945 --> 00:08:20,570 The rocket needs to be refueled, 92 00:08:20,696 --> 00:08:23,860 this propellant needs to be prepared, 93 00:08:24,570 --> 00:08:29,278 everything necessary must be delivered, everything must be monitored 94 00:08:29,654 --> 00:08:32,237 and make this rocket launch at all. 95 00:08:40,737 --> 00:08:43,860 But Hitler was not interested in space exploration, 96 00:08:44,529 --> 00:08:46,654 he needed weapons. 97 00:08:47,696 --> 00:08:51,778 The order was given to send the V2s in a deadly rain upon the Allies, 98 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,654 but rockets were far from perfect weapons. 99 00:09:00,153 --> 00:09:04,070 The rockets did not work properly 100 00:09:04,195 --> 00:09:09,654 when first used, this weapon system was far from ready. 101 00:09:11,278 --> 00:09:14,028 All testing and operation of the rocket 102 00:09:14,153 --> 00:09:18,737 accompanied by explosions and breakdowns. 103 00:09:20,987 --> 00:09:25,861 During the development and testing of the missile, Germany was at war with the Allies. 104 00:09:26,112 --> 00:09:32,112 So while the V2 wasn't used for a cause that could be praised, 105 00:09:32,903 --> 00:09:37,696 the engineering behind it was thorough and very impressive. 106 00:09:42,237 --> 00:09:47,112 1944 a historic start took place on the seventh test stand 107 00:09:47,404 --> 00:09:50,445 and the vertically launched V2 entered space. 108 00:09:52,987 --> 00:09:55,570 Traveling at four times the speed of sound, 109 00:09:56,028 --> 00:10:01,570 von Braun's rockets soon screamed at the people of London and Antwerp. 110 00:10:06,278 --> 00:10:09,028 However, despite the missile's powerful destructive power, 111 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:14,278 it was not enough to turn the war in the Nazis' favor. 112 00:10:18,777 --> 00:10:23,112 Hitler was taken in by miracle weapons , and all the money was spent on them. 113 00:10:23,570 --> 00:10:26,861 It benefited both the US and the Allies, 114 00:10:27,112 --> 00:10:31,612 because there was not enough money to build tanks and infrastructures, 115 00:10:31,737 --> 00:10:36,778 bicycles were ridden and there was nothing modern on the battlefield 116 00:10:37,445 --> 00:10:39,654 and therein was the irony of the matter. 117 00:10:41,404 --> 00:10:43,696 After all, history shows 118 00:10:43,778 --> 00:10:47,570 that the Nazis were thoroughly defeated by the end of World War II 119 00:10:47,987 --> 00:10:53,237 and V2 launch sites, such as Test Stand Seven, were destroyed. 120 00:10:58,028 --> 00:11:02,737 But the technology lived on as scientists like von Braun 121 00:11:02,861 --> 00:11:07,778 started working for the Americans, taking secret missile plans with them. 122 00:11:08,777 --> 00:11:10,987 Abandoned Buildings 123 00:11:11,654 --> 00:11:13,654 A space mission 124 00:11:13,778 --> 00:11:16,070 Abandoned Buildings 125 00:11:16,612 --> 00:11:18,903 A space mission 126 00:11:21,737 --> 00:11:26,903 Alamogordo in the middle of the US military's White Sands Proving Ground 127 00:11:27,237 --> 00:11:29,737 another V2 launch site is located. 128 00:11:31,696 --> 00:11:34,654 This is launch complex number 33. 129 00:11:38,445 --> 00:11:42,987 This 22 meter long structure stands abandoned in the desert 130 00:11:46,070 --> 00:11:49,404 and its beams have been eroded by flying sand for decades. 131 00:11:51,237 --> 00:11:56,529 How did White Sands become the place where America's road to the stars began? 132 00:12:00,070 --> 00:12:02,861 At the beginning of the space program 133 00:12:02,987 --> 00:12:07,945 there were no grand plans like sending a man to the moon, 134 00:12:08,195 --> 00:12:12,237 the program was military. Rockets were sent vertically into space 135 00:12:12,445 --> 00:12:16,529 and became interested and studied how they come down, 136 00:12:16,654 --> 00:12:20,487 to understand how this information could be used to attack the enemy 137 00:12:20,612 --> 00:12:23,070 this was the beginning of the space program. 138 00:12:24,987 --> 00:12:29,070 At the end of World War II, there was a group of visionaries, 139 00:12:29,445 --> 00:12:34,654 who had become clear that the key to future success is knowledge, 140 00:12:34,777 --> 00:12:38,070 knowledge is the key to survival in a nuclear world 141 00:12:38,404 --> 00:12:44,696 and backwardness in missile or nuclear technology 142 00:12:44,820 --> 00:12:47,529 can mean total defeat. 143 00:12:49,654 --> 00:12:51,945 White Sands made history, 144 00:12:52,070 --> 00:12:57,112 when on July 16, 1945 the very first nuclear bomb was tested here . 145 00:12:58,777 --> 00:13:02,320 Just a week earlier, a facility had been created on 7,770 square kilometers, 146 00:13:02,445 --> 00:13:07,820 which was then called the White Sands Test Site. 147 00:13:14,903 --> 00:13:18,778 When comparing the V2 to America's first rocket design, 148 00:13:20,654 --> 00:13:24,237 then the V2 was technologically very far ahead. 149 00:13:24,696 --> 00:13:29,487 At that time, our rocket could carry about 15 kg of payload 150 00:13:29,861 --> 00:13:32,445 and take it to a height of 100-110 km into the atmosphere. 151 00:13:32,861 --> 00:13:38,195 The V2 could lift 900 kilograms to a height of 160 kilometers. 152 00:13:41,987 --> 00:13:45,153 Wagons with missile parts arrived at White Sands 153 00:13:45,612 --> 00:13:49,487 and dozens of scientists who had led. 154 00:13:49,737 --> 00:13:52,028 Germany's V2 program. 155 00:13:54,445 --> 00:13:57,696 The ultimate secret of Nazi Germany - the deadly rocket bomb V2 156 00:13:57,778 --> 00:14:00,404 assembled for testing by US engineers . 157 00:14:00,654 --> 00:14:04,903 White Sandsi polügoonil New Mexicos Las Cruceses 158 00:14:05,028 --> 00:14:07,820 an ingenious lifting arrow raises 14 m of death and destruction, 159 00:14:07,945 --> 00:14:11,487 which essentially compete with the atomic bomb. 160 00:14:16,195 --> 00:14:19,945 But the most important part of the V2 program that arrived, 161 00:14:20,153 --> 00:14:25,237 was not a rocket detail, but the father of the V2, Werner von Braun. 162 00:14:29,820 --> 00:14:34,737 But was the creator of Hitler's revenge weapon the right man for the job? 163 00:14:36,777 --> 00:14:41,195 Werner von Braun led the German rocket program. 164 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:46,195 Or in other words: how to shoot other cities on Earth? 165 00:14:47,945 --> 00:14:51,612 When he switched to the US side, 166 00:14:51,778 --> 00:14:55,112 he gave their program an incredible boost. 167 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:01,404 Without him, it would have taken them decades. 168 00:15:01,737 --> 00:15:04,153 Without him, they would n't have gotten anywhere. 169 00:15:09,153 --> 00:15:13,445 I don't think von Braun was an ardent Nazi, 170 00:15:13,654 --> 00:15:18,945 he created the V2 because he was the man who invented rockets. 171 00:15:21,112 --> 00:15:25,570 America had everything it needed for a successful missile program . 172 00:15:25,737 --> 00:15:29,696 They had rockets to learn from, to rebuild, 173 00:15:29,778 --> 00:15:31,861 their engineers could study and analyze them 174 00:15:31,987 --> 00:15:35,237 and they had experienced German engineers. 175 00:15:42,903 --> 00:15:46,778 The experience of the German V2 program showed that 176 00:15:46,903 --> 00:15:49,404 that the technology was far from perfect. 177 00:15:51,820 --> 00:15:55,737 As a result, the US military constructed an observation tower, 178 00:15:56,112 --> 00:15:58,696 where you could safely watch every start. 179 00:16:01,487 --> 00:16:04,487 The building was covered with 8 meters of concrete 180 00:16:04,903 --> 00:16:08,696 and withstood a V2 explosion at a distance of 90 meters 181 00:16:09,070 --> 00:16:12,070 or a collision with a V2 falling from a height of 160 kilometers . 182 00:16:15,777 --> 00:16:19,612 This building was built because of the power of V2 183 00:16:19,737 --> 00:16:23,778 the rocket carried about 8600 kg of fuel, 184 00:16:24,112 --> 00:16:27,737 which is extremely explosive. 185 00:16:28,778 --> 00:16:33,654 Failed to release a pair of V2, 186 00:16:33,777 --> 00:16:37,237 something ignited one tank and the other tank exploded 187 00:16:37,445 --> 00:16:39,820 and this explosion was colossal. 188 00:16:42,195 --> 00:16:47,487 To protect people, the room had reinforced walls 3 meters thick. 189 00:16:47,903 --> 00:16:52,445 The presence of people in space was essential for the success of the V2 launch . 190 00:16:53,028 --> 00:16:57,903 There were management experts, control and combustion experts, 191 00:16:58,612 --> 00:17:01,028 the facility's military superiors. 192 00:17:01,195 --> 00:17:05,612 During the starts, it was located in this room 193 00:17:05,737 --> 00:17:07,819 the brain trust of the entire V2 program. 194 00:17:16,819 --> 00:17:19,194 The rocket takes off! 195 00:17:19,903 --> 00:17:23,737 At first it seemed that the military was right to expect disaster. 196 00:17:25,278 --> 00:17:29,654 America's first V2, launched in 1946. in April, 197 00:17:29,820 --> 00:17:34,861 rose to a height of only 5.6 kilometers and then turned into a ball of fire. 198 00:17:37,820 --> 00:17:41,028 Everyone was looking forward to the next launch a few weeks later 199 00:17:41,278 --> 00:17:45,195 and this time the rocket climbed to a height of 144 kilometers 200 00:17:45,362 --> 00:17:48,112 and then fell 56 kilometers away. 201 00:17:50,987 --> 00:17:53,696 An Air Force film shows a missile in flight 202 00:17:54,028 --> 00:17:56,278 and then the flight camera automatically takes over. 203 00:17:56,612 --> 00:18:02,070 The huge rocket leaves the Earth behind at a speed of 1.2 kilometers per second. 204 00:18:02,861 --> 00:18:06,404 The rotation of the rocket causes the Earth to spin in front of the lens 205 00:18:06,529 --> 00:18:10,696 and the camera films the Earth from an altitude of 104 kilometers. 206 00:18:11,237 --> 00:18:13,987 The horizon is 1158 kilometers away 207 00:18:14,153 --> 00:18:18,737 and the curvature of the Earth is amazingly apparent on film. 208 00:18:23,278 --> 00:18:27,696 It was the first successful launch of a large rocket from American soil, 209 00:18:27,861 --> 00:18:31,487 which pushed the United States into the space age. 210 00:18:34,529 --> 00:18:39,278 I would have liked to have seen those first launches of the V2 from the White Sands base. 211 00:18:39,487 --> 00:18:44,861 For me it was a time of great unknown and great excitement. 212 00:18:48,987 --> 00:18:53,570 I can't imagine how engineers and scientists like me felt, 213 00:18:53,903 --> 00:18:59,987 who touched space with these amazing rockets. 214 00:19:00,153 --> 00:19:04,777 We wanted to see the stars and planets without Earth's atmosphere interfering. 215 00:19:09,903 --> 00:19:14,320 As the experiments became more and more complex, 216 00:19:14,529 --> 00:19:18,445 it was clear that the systems of the 33rd launch site could not cope with them. 217 00:19:19,987 --> 00:19:24,320 A completely new structure had to be created for the V2 launches . 218 00:19:25,696 --> 00:19:29,612 It soon became a standard fixture at all launch sites. 219 00:19:32,861 --> 00:19:36,612 For the first V2 flights, the rocket was delivered by Meillerwagen, 220 00:19:36,737 --> 00:19:39,903 with the original German transport vehicle. 221 00:19:40,153 --> 00:19:42,487 It was driven up onto the launch pad 222 00:19:42,777 --> 00:19:46,903 and by means of a pair of small ladders it was prepared and fueled, 223 00:19:47,028 --> 00:19:49,445 instruments were placed on top of the rocket. 224 00:19:50,153 --> 00:19:53,070 The problem was that by 1947 they had changed 225 00:19:53,195 --> 00:19:58,195 instruments became more complex, their installation took longer. 226 00:19:58,696 --> 00:20:02,237 It became clear that something stronger was needed. 227 00:20:02,487 --> 00:20:06,195 In 1947, a gantry crane was delivered from California. 228 00:20:06,362 --> 00:20:10,404 It could move around on rails, place platforms, 229 00:20:10,654 --> 00:20:14,362 to do everything necessary at the rocket and when everything was done, 230 00:20:14,529 --> 00:20:19,028 the platforms were raised, the crane moved away, and the rocket sent off. 231 00:20:31,112 --> 00:20:34,945 But White Sands didn't just boost rocketry, 232 00:20:35,570 --> 00:20:40,445 it was also the first place from which living things were sent into the atmosphere. 233 00:20:40,987 --> 00:20:43,278 Live monkeys. 234 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,612 Testing of V2 rockets 235 00:20:53,070 --> 00:20:57,278 to radiation in space developed over time. 236 00:20:57,445 --> 00:21:03,696 In the beginning there were simple things like an ant or a grain of corn, 237 00:21:04,070 --> 00:21:07,404 to see the effect of cosmic radiation. 238 00:21:07,777 --> 00:21:13,570 However, this soon led to the monkeys being put in a capsule 239 00:21:13,778 --> 00:21:16,278 and to launch into space. 240 00:21:16,861 --> 00:21:20,861 Today's animal rights activists would surely be out of their minds, 241 00:21:20,987 --> 00:21:24,070 but back then nobody cared, nobody knew. 242 00:21:24,362 --> 00:21:28,153 The problem was that in those distant times monkeys did not survive, 243 00:21:28,278 --> 00:21:34,278 the parachutes that were supposed to bring the vehicle down never worked. 244 00:21:39,570 --> 00:21:41,945 Abandoned Buildings 245 00:21:42,445 --> 00:21:44,570 A space mission 246 00:21:44,778 --> 00:21:47,112 Abandoned Buildings 247 00:21:47,696 --> 00:21:49,945 A space mission 248 00:21:52,945 --> 00:21:58,070 By the early 1950s, White Sands had made great strides 249 00:21:58,278 --> 00:22:00,778 and initiated the further development of space exploration. 250 00:22:05,070 --> 00:22:09,112 The successful V2s had exhausted themselves, 251 00:22:09,570 --> 00:22:15,278 but the engineers and scientists of the 33rd launch complex could be proud. 252 00:22:19,945 --> 00:22:22,529 These first missiles from the White Sands base 253 00:22:22,737 --> 00:22:27,987 has been overshadowed by the phenomenal success of the Apollo missions , 254 00:22:28,445 --> 00:22:32,237 however, these early projects were extremely important. 255 00:22:35,070 --> 00:22:38,696 After the end of the V2 program there was an effort, 256 00:22:39,028 --> 00:22:40,948 which ended with the Soviets winning the space rally. 257 00:22:41,362 --> 00:22:43,778 In my opinion, the most important thing was the novelty of the whole thing. 258 00:22:43,945 --> 00:22:48,820 They did something that had never been done before in this country. 259 00:22:48,987 --> 00:22:51,777 We were doing science for humanity there 260 00:22:51,903 --> 00:22:55,654 and I think that's what made scientists work hard. 261 00:22:59,153 --> 00:23:02,903 V2 may have failed as a weapon, 262 00:23:03,112 --> 00:23:06,777 but it triumphed as the first spacecraft. 263 00:23:13,903 --> 00:23:17,778 No more rockets were built in places like White Sands , 264 00:23:18,237 --> 00:23:22,903 but at the Barcroft Research Station in the White Mountains of California 265 00:23:23,278 --> 00:23:26,362 there were also experiments with monkeys. 266 00:23:27,404 --> 00:23:33,654 They wanted to see how living things could withstand space travel. 267 00:23:37,195 --> 00:23:40,903 Picture the picture: it's the 60s, the sexual revolution. 268 00:23:41,445 --> 00:23:44,237 How many Americans knew 269 00:23:44,404 --> 00:23:48,612 that the monkeys were taken to a mountain 4.2 km high and experimented on, 270 00:23:48,945 --> 00:23:54,487 to get an idea of ​​how to start a space program? 271 00:23:54,737 --> 00:23:57,945 If they had known, they would have been horrified. 272 00:24:00,237 --> 00:24:05,028 The use of animals was very necessary to send humans into space. 273 00:24:05,153 --> 00:24:08,945 Such experiments could not be avoided. 274 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,529 And, of course, they were constantly accompanied by deaths. 275 00:24:11,696 --> 00:24:15,195 Of course , it wouldn't have been so easy for humans, 276 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,696 it could have ended the entire space program. 277 00:24:21,529 --> 00:24:27,529 In the early 1950s, Barcroft Station was a classified research facility for the US Navy. 278 00:24:29,612 --> 00:24:32,112 When the decision to close it was made, 279 00:24:32,278 --> 00:24:35,903 the facility was taken over by the University of California. 280 00:24:37,362 --> 00:24:43,028 With NASA's help, Barcroft began to play an important role in the space program, 281 00:24:43,237 --> 00:24:45,820 using a unique chimpanzee colony. 282 00:24:49,112 --> 00:24:53,570 University historian Daniel Pritchett revealed their forgotten story. 283 00:24:54,945 --> 00:25:00,487 It was built in 1951. and started collecting meteorological data, 284 00:25:00,820 --> 00:25:03,529 then they started breeding laboratory animals, 285 00:25:08,696 --> 00:25:12,696 began to study the physiology of chimpanzees, 286 00:25:12,820 --> 00:25:16,903 because it was planned to send chimpanzees into space before humans. 287 00:25:17,153 --> 00:25:22,612 It was necessary to understand the physiology of chimpanzees and create tracking devices, 288 00:25:22,737 --> 00:25:27,445 so that the health and condition of chimpanzees in space can be monitored . 289 00:25:28,654 --> 00:25:33,612 The Saga of Ham: This chimpanzee has been selected and thoroughly studied 290 00:25:33,737 --> 00:25:36,903 and patiently taught to help mankind understand, 291 00:25:37,070 --> 00:25:40,529 can living things survive space travel. 292 00:25:43,112 --> 00:25:47,737 Doing things with animals on Earth can provide valuable information, 293 00:25:47,861 --> 00:25:51,028 when simulating the conditions as they might be in space. 294 00:25:51,777 --> 00:25:55,987 Much can be learned from controlled experiments on Earth 295 00:25:56,112 --> 00:26:01,445 and there is no need to send out expensive missiles that may not return. 296 00:26:02,362 --> 00:26:08,445 If you want to test high acceleration, you can do it with animals. 297 00:26:08,696 --> 00:26:13,945 If you want to test a hard landing, you do it with animals. 298 00:26:15,237 --> 00:26:20,070 Although there was knowledge of people at high altitudes, 299 00:26:20,195 --> 00:26:25,237 did not know how the human body behaves under conditions of weightlessness. 300 00:26:25,362 --> 00:26:28,404 Such experiments can be carried out on animals 301 00:26:28,696 --> 00:26:32,696 and of course this should be done before human trials. 302 00:26:40,612 --> 00:26:44,903 This is an authentic relic from the early 60s, 303 00:26:46,778 --> 00:26:49,737 from the time we trained 304 00:26:51,237 --> 00:26:56,654 chimpanzees and macaques to go into space. 305 00:26:57,070 --> 00:27:02,404 It is a 200 liter drum with a small plexiglass seat 306 00:27:03,070 --> 00:27:05,612 and this is a space capsule simulator. 307 00:27:06,195 --> 00:27:10,570 It is insulated from the inside, it is equipped with catheters, 308 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,777 which were surgically implanted in animals 309 00:27:15,195 --> 00:27:20,945 and within it they got used to what they had to do in space. 310 00:27:27,487 --> 00:27:30,112 The chimpanzee was sealed in a capsule 311 00:27:30,404 --> 00:27:35,945 and flown by helicopter to Barcroft Station. 312 00:27:38,153 --> 00:27:41,195 This was the beginning of a long series of experiments, 313 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:46,362 where their response to stress and changes in air pressure was recorded. 314 00:27:56,445 --> 00:28:00,820 We are on the first floor of Barcroft station. 315 00:28:02,445 --> 00:28:06,070 In the 60s, there were animal colonies on the first floor, 316 00:28:06,195 --> 00:28:08,945 here were chimpanzees and macaques, 317 00:28:09,195 --> 00:28:12,362 here the physiology of these animals was studied 318 00:28:12,696 --> 00:28:17,070 and telemetry equipment was developed 319 00:28:17,237 --> 00:28:20,487 to monitor their bodies and health. 320 00:28:22,612 --> 00:28:25,820 Here, the effect of altitude on these animals was investigated. 321 00:28:26,112 --> 00:28:32,278 Here they were trained, practiced sitting on small chairs, 322 00:28:32,404 --> 00:28:35,861 because they had little space in the space capsules. 323 00:28:37,820 --> 00:28:41,237 The American approach was that animals can be trained to do things, 324 00:28:41,362 --> 00:28:46,028 what people can do in space - push buttons, pull levers, etc 325 00:28:46,362 --> 00:28:51,445 and thus data can be collected to help design the cabin, 326 00:28:51,570 --> 00:28:54,612 which can eventually be used to send humans into space. 327 00:28:56,112 --> 00:28:58,153 Different countries sent different animals. 328 00:28:58,278 --> 00:29:01,487 Sometimes for obvious reasons, sometimes not so obvious. 329 00:29:01,987 --> 00:29:07,195 If you know that the animal will not come back, you can send, for example, a mouse. 330 00:29:08,028 --> 00:29:11,195 But if you want to experiment with bigger animals too, 331 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,153 then the Russians sent the dog Laika into space with Sputnik 2 . 332 00:29:14,487 --> 00:29:17,820 And they had such an order that the dogs were taken from the street. 333 00:29:18,278 --> 00:29:23,777 The idea was to take animals that lived in harsh conditions 334 00:29:24,070 --> 00:29:28,861 they have received little food and water and are therefore better suited 335 00:29:28,987 --> 00:29:31,529 for an experiment that wanted to be tested. 336 00:29:33,612 --> 00:29:35,778 Can simulate temperature changes, 337 00:29:35,903 --> 00:29:41,445 can create heavy loads with a centrifuge, but not everything can be done. 338 00:29:41,903 --> 00:29:47,320 We are still doing experiments on the International Space Station today. 339 00:29:47,487 --> 00:29:50,070 Astronauts are guinea pigs in this sense. 340 00:29:50,404 --> 00:29:54,654 We try to understand how weightlessness affects the human body, 341 00:29:54,777 --> 00:29:56,945 how cosmic radiation affects us . 342 00:29:57,070 --> 00:29:59,777 We are still trying to understand many of these things. 343 00:30:00,237 --> 00:30:02,696 Abandoned Buildings 344 00:30:02,861 --> 00:30:04,777 A space mission 345 00:30:04,778 --> 00:30:07,362 Abandoned Buildings 346 00:30:07,612 --> 00:30:09,778 A space mission 347 00:30:10,445 --> 00:30:14,529 Chimpanzees were one thing, but what about human astronauts? 348 00:30:16,028 --> 00:30:19,612 Since the start of V2 launch tests in New Mexico 349 00:30:19,820 --> 00:30:24,362 scientists tried to find out if manned flights were possible. 350 00:30:27,278 --> 00:30:31,861 This 9 m high apparatus provides information about the human reaction 351 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:38,112 to the effects of height change, weight and vertical acceleration. 352 00:30:38,820 --> 00:30:42,737 The physical and physiological effects of prolonged vibration are investigated 353 00:30:43,112 --> 00:30:47,028 and the breathing apparatus measures the response of the lungs and other organs. 354 00:30:50,112 --> 00:30:55,777 In 1961, Soviet Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth on Vostok 1 355 00:30:56,570 --> 00:30:59,112 and became the first person in space. 356 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:05,696 In the USA, the need was immediately felt to compete with Nsvl's achievement. 357 00:31:08,404 --> 00:31:11,195 But they were n't just competing in space. 358 00:31:12,945 --> 00:31:15,945 One of the US Army's largest research facilities 359 00:31:16,112 --> 00:31:19,112 is the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. 360 00:31:35,028 --> 00:31:39,654 In the middle of the desert stands a lonely big cannon. 361 00:31:40,404 --> 00:31:43,612 This is the record-breaking Harp super cannon, 362 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:46,945 which was forgotten for decades 363 00:31:47,362 --> 00:31:51,195 and its important role in space exploration is only now being revealed . 364 00:31:53,820 --> 00:31:57,570 I had no idea that space technology 365 00:31:57,696 --> 00:32:03,445 wasn't just about sending state-of-the-art rockets into space. 366 00:32:04,737 --> 00:32:10,320 It wasn't like that. Centuries-old technology was also used : 367 00:32:10,778 --> 00:32:15,570 cannon. Take a huge charge and send it straight up. 368 00:32:18,487 --> 00:32:21,570 Using a cannon to launch something into orbit is not a stupid idea. 369 00:32:21,696 --> 00:32:26,320 In fact, it's a cheap and surefire way to launch something into orbit. 370 00:32:28,987 --> 00:32:34,112 The cannon was an important part of the series of tests that took place in the 60s , 371 00:32:34,362 --> 00:32:38,153 which was called the High Altitude Research Project, or Harp. 372 00:32:39,654 --> 00:32:43,529 The project was the brainchild of ballistics expert Gerald Bull 373 00:32:43,820 --> 00:32:47,570 and its goal was to make spaceflight a reality. 374 00:32:48,903 --> 00:32:54,612 In my opinion, Dr. Gerald Bull was first and foremost a genius. 375 00:32:54,903 --> 00:33:00,112 As both an engineer and a scientist , he was constantly experimenting. 376 00:33:04,237 --> 00:33:09,237 When he began to think about the technology of launching a cannon into orbit, 377 00:33:09,362 --> 00:33:12,195 many made Jules Verne jokes about him, 378 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:16,778 others said that even if it could be done it would be of no use, 379 00:33:16,903 --> 00:33:21,487 unless you have some kind of telemetry kit to send data to Earth. 380 00:33:21,987 --> 00:33:24,404 But Bull proved them wrong. 381 00:33:25,487 --> 00:33:29,445 He thought that supercannons could be used to get into space cheaply 382 00:33:29,570 --> 00:33:32,237 and a lot was learned with the help of this program . 383 00:33:37,570 --> 00:33:40,737 The target of Bull's cannon was the ionosphere. 384 00:33:42,445 --> 00:33:44,696 This layer of electrically charged air 385 00:33:44,778 --> 00:33:48,987 plays an important part in the possibility of ultra-long distances 386 00:33:49,612 --> 00:33:52,778 and can affect the flight of spacecraft leaving Earth . 387 00:33:54,112 --> 00:33:58,903 At a time when rockets were very expensive and extremely unreliable, 388 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:04,529 Bull believed that the information from the sensors released by his cannons was cheaper. 389 00:34:11,361 --> 00:34:15,778 If you want to know the space conditions before launching a rocket, 390 00:34:16,070 --> 00:34:21,361 you put up cheap sensors and find out what's going on 391 00:34:21,570 --> 00:34:24,320 right where you 're going to launch the big rocket 392 00:34:24,696 --> 00:34:27,404 and you will definitely get very valuable data. 393 00:34:29,195 --> 00:34:34,820 The Bulli Harp cannon project paid off in many ways. 394 00:34:35,070 --> 00:34:39,861 Yes, of course, you can collect information about the upper atmosphere. 395 00:34:40,070 --> 00:34:43,778 But you also gain a strategic military advantage, 396 00:34:43,903 --> 00:34:48,361 as you will learn how to launch missiles at your enemy 397 00:34:48,570 --> 00:34:50,736 and that was what interested them the most. 398 00:34:52,195 --> 00:34:57,654 Since it was the dawn of the space age, both technology choices were important. 399 00:34:57,820 --> 00:35:03,195 Technology emerged from World War II and found use in new frontiers. 400 00:35:03,362 --> 00:35:06,028 It was not known exactly what would come out of it. 401 00:35:06,237 --> 00:35:09,778 In this way, it makes more sense to finance two outputs at the same time 402 00:35:09,903 --> 00:35:12,445 both rockets and large cannons. 403 00:35:19,237 --> 00:35:24,654 The Harp Cannon demonstrates Bull's genius for designing large cannons. 404 00:35:30,445 --> 00:35:34,195 has researched the history and construction of this record-breaking weapon. 405 00:35:38,945 --> 00:35:43,070 The program received two 400 mm gun barrels from the Navy . 406 00:35:43,278 --> 00:35:48,112 One was 21 meters long, the other about 15 meters long. 407 00:35:48,737 --> 00:35:52,612 They were welded together in the middle and supported by the superstructure. 408 00:35:52,987 --> 00:35:58,278 The two pieces are welded together here where the big bolts are. 409 00:35:59,153 --> 00:36:01,778 The superstructure was built to make the tube more rigid, 410 00:36:02,529 --> 00:36:07,112 the pieces would not come loose and it would be stronger in a vertical position, 411 00:36:07,612 --> 00:36:11,070 as the cannon may move a little while firing 412 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:14,278 and you don't want the tube to sag. 413 00:36:18,237 --> 00:36:21,612 Bull's cannon had to have a special design in its foot, 414 00:36:21,737 --> 00:36:25,112 which would allow it to fire at an 85 degree angle. 415 00:36:27,529 --> 00:36:33,737 The first cannon was built in 1963. on the island of Barbados. 416 00:36:35,570 --> 00:36:37,903 Because it was north of the equator, 417 00:36:38,028 --> 00:36:43,195 could launch the rockets into the atmosphere beautifully and later pick them up from the sea. 418 00:36:46,737 --> 00:36:51,070 Local historian Trevor Marshall is aware of the reactions in Barbados 419 00:36:51,195 --> 00:36:56,654 to the huge cannon that is still rusting on the beach. 420 00:36:58,696 --> 00:37:01,570 From 1962 to the 70s 421 00:37:01,820 --> 00:37:05,529 this cannon was fired more than 2000 times. 422 00:37:05,654 --> 00:37:11,112 Its sound was quite loud, the bang was loud. 423 00:37:13,570 --> 00:37:18,278 Barbadians also felt the bang on the other side of the island. 424 00:37:18,570 --> 00:37:21,237 The aftershocks were terrible. 425 00:37:21,570 --> 00:37:26,861 Houses shook on their foundations, cracks appeared in some houses. 426 00:37:27,362 --> 00:37:31,487 Barbadians felt that this was not good for the island, 427 00:37:32,404 --> 00:37:35,153 although it had seemed to raise Barbados 428 00:37:35,278 --> 00:37:38,903 into the stratosphere of world prestige. 429 00:37:41,861 --> 00:37:46,945 You don't have to be a rocket scientist to send something into space . 430 00:37:47,237 --> 00:37:51,445 It can also be done more easily - for example with the Harp cannon. 431 00:37:51,570 --> 00:37:54,153 This almost primitive technology 432 00:37:54,278 --> 00:37:57,820 had just become powerful enough, 433 00:37:57,945 --> 00:38:02,778 to send the rocket 178 kilometers straight up. 434 00:38:04,903 --> 00:38:08,445 While the big cannon has its pros, it also has its downside. 435 00:38:08,737 --> 00:38:14,778 It takes a very high acceleration to send something high up quickly 436 00:38:14,987 --> 00:38:20,362 and as experienced, the object may not be able to withstand this acceleration. 437 00:38:20,654 --> 00:38:22,903 And then there's the mass problem, 438 00:38:23,028 --> 00:38:27,320 since very heavy things cannot be sent out using this technique , 439 00:38:27,445 --> 00:38:30,028 so only small objects can be launched. 440 00:38:31,737 --> 00:38:34,987 To bring information from the upper atmosphere, 441 00:38:35,278 --> 00:38:38,028 Bull designed a revolutionary javelin-shaped rocket. 442 00:38:39,654 --> 00:38:43,820 The rocket, called the Martlet, took advantage of a World War II invention 443 00:38:44,112 --> 00:38:47,861 which was used for a high-speed anti-tank missile - a sleeve. 444 00:38:49,696 --> 00:38:53,570 The martlet had a streamlined shape, it looked like an arrow with fins. 445 00:38:54,153 --> 00:38:57,945 The purpose of the sleeve was to fill the void inside the tube. 446 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:01,737 In this case, plywood was used, each third was called a pedal. 447 00:39:03,404 --> 00:39:09,153 The gases pushed it out of the tube and the pedals fell off. 448 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:14,820 What remained was a streamlined shape with a telemetry package in its nose 449 00:39:15,153 --> 00:39:20,404 and different materials could be placed in the stern according to the purpose of the experiment . 450 00:39:21,861 --> 00:39:24,903 It was a detailed technique and what I like about it, 451 00:39:25,028 --> 00:39:29,445 how modern technology was added to primitive technology , 452 00:39:29,570 --> 00:39:35,112 to achieve something record-breaking by sending the rocket high . 453 00:39:40,070 --> 00:39:45,362 It took a tremendous amount of thrust to send the Martlet into the ionosphere . 454 00:39:46,820 --> 00:39:50,987 Each launch was achieved with enormous forces in the Harp cannon. 455 00:39:55,737 --> 00:40:00,777 You can see the size of this opening and the screws to lock it. 456 00:40:00,861 --> 00:40:04,237 Its very length indicates that the mass of its opening 457 00:40:04,362 --> 00:40:07,195 had to deal with the charges and pressures of firing. 458 00:40:07,529 --> 00:40:12,529 During the tests, the pressure could reach 3400 atmospheres. 459 00:40:14,861 --> 00:40:16,945 You have to think about the materials, 460 00:40:17,070 --> 00:40:21,278 upon the necessary explosion to obtain the required thrust , 461 00:40:21,487 --> 00:40:25,696 one must make sure that the recoil does not tear the cannon to pieces 462 00:40:26,028 --> 00:40:31,404 and that you have a pipe long enough to send something like that up high. 463 00:40:31,861 --> 00:40:34,112 There is a lot to think about 464 00:40:34,237 --> 00:40:37,903 and it takes a lot of thought and construction to achieve it, 465 00:40:38,529 --> 00:40:42,987 but deep down, this technique is simple and I love it. 466 00:40:49,070 --> 00:40:51,153 After the success in Barbados 467 00:40:51,362 --> 00:40:55,903 the second Harp was established at the Yuma proving ground of the US military 468 00:40:56,654 --> 00:41:01,278 and there Gerald Bull set a record that stands to this day. 469 00:41:05,237 --> 00:41:08,153 On November 18, 1966 470 00:41:08,570 --> 00:41:13,362 the Arizona cannon gave the Martlet a speed of 2.1 kilometers per second 471 00:41:13,654 --> 00:41:16,320 and it rose 178 kilometers into space. 472 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:25,696 But today it sits greased and ready to fire in the Arizona desert, 473 00:41:25,945 --> 00:41:30,487 so when the time comes it can aim for the stars again. 474 00:41:35,654 --> 00:41:41,445 Even now life at high altitudes is being studied at Barcroft Station , 475 00:41:42,195 --> 00:41:46,737 but the space program using chimpanzees has long since been abandoned. 476 00:41:48,778 --> 00:41:52,654 Rocket technology has left the V2 far behind 477 00:41:53,028 --> 00:41:59,777 and the historic Test Stand 7 and Launch Complex 33 have been abandoned. 478 00:42:00,861 --> 00:42:05,278 Space exploration now has new goals. 479 00:42:08,362 --> 00:42:11,487 The current focus in space is cost reduction 480 00:42:11,737 --> 00:42:16,320 and we use space every day in so many ways, 481 00:42:16,570 --> 00:42:18,445 that it helps to deal with it. 482 00:42:18,903 --> 00:42:24,777 Space X keeps costs down with reusable rockets. 483 00:42:28,487 --> 00:42:32,028 The future of space exploration may depend 484 00:42:32,153 --> 00:42:37,861 from investing in technologies we don't know anything about yet. 485 00:42:38,445 --> 00:42:43,861 However, it can also depend on something simpler, 486 00:42:44,487 --> 00:42:48,195 perhaps even from something as primitive as the Harp cannon. 487 00:42:49,028 --> 00:42:54,737 I'm not saying that man will be sent to Mars with a cannon, it won't happen, 488 00:42:55,028 --> 00:42:59,404 but when it is necessary to send payloads and objects into orbit, 489 00:43:00,195 --> 00:43:05,237 which is assembled there to be sent further 490 00:43:05,362 --> 00:43:11,237 and if there is a need to explore space more than we have done, 491 00:43:12,445 --> 00:43:17,112 and it makes them happy when they get together 492 00:43:17,237 --> 00:43:20,778 a combination of technology and the technical era, 493 00:43:21,195 --> 00:43:24,820 to give us something that currently does not exist.