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NEWER SCAN:    • GLENN L. MARTIN CO.   "THE TIME OF TH...  

Produced by the Martin Company, TIME OF THE TITAN profiles the U.S. Air Force's Titan I ICBM system. Titan I was stored underground, and pushed to the surface by a giant elevator for launch. The film also shows the development of the Titan II which was the first American ICBM to be launched directly from underground silos.

The Titan I began in 1954 as a backup ICBM project in case the Atlas was delayed. It was a two-stage rocket whose LR-87 engine was powered by Rocket Propellant 1 (RP-1) and Liquid Oxygen (LOX). It was operational from early 1962 to mid-1965 -- only three years -- but provided an essential bridge in the development of American strategic forces. The ground guidance for the Titan was the Unisys ATHENA computer, designed by Seymour Cray, which was based in a hardened underground bunker. Using radar data, it made course corrections during the burn phase.

The Titan II was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and space launcher developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier Titan I missile. Titan II was also originally developed as an ICBM but was later used as a medium-lift space launch vehicle. These payloads eventually included the USAF Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), the NOAA weather satellites, and NASA's Gemini manned space capsules.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com