Spacecraft Propulsion and Power (1965)

Duration: 30:19:00

Year Published: 1965

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: Produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, this 1965 government film focuses on propulsion and power technologies aboard the spacecraft as it is used and needed in space after launch. While the technology of propulsion and power for Apollo spacecraft was designed and constructed elsewhere, the Manned Spacecraft Center was responsible for selecting and testing various systems developed by contractors from around the United States. To explain the propulsion needs of Apollo spacecraft, the film details the steps taken to get the spacecraft from Earth orbit to the moon and back. After detailing propulsion, our attention moves to electrical technologies under development and testing that could be used to generate power aboard the spacecraft for long missions, including fuel cells, solar cells, and thermionic and other types of generators.