LA Times, March 23, 1954
It was billed as the "The Greatest Show (not) on Earth", and it did not
disappoint. When we were let into the Press Room, there was a line of
televisions along the stage, all showing static. At 4:32, the lights were
dimmed and a picture began to form on the televisions of some shapeless white
wisps on a dark background. The general appearance was like the sky on a
partially cloudy day. Gradually, the image shifted to the left and a new shape
appeared. Someone yelled out, "that's Baja California!"
The lights then rose and the heroes of the moment stepped out on stage: Howard
Hughes, Walt Disney, and Werner von Braun, carrying a model of the Pioneer 1
spaceship. The grins on the three men were enormous, and they were instantly
greeted with applause from the usually-reserved press corps. Disney began,
describing in lofty words how now that humanity had touched space and seen the
Earth from afar, we had entered a new era. Space communications would allow all
the world to connect without regard for natural or human boundaries. Weather
will be predictable and could even be controlled one day. Flights across oceans
will take mere hours. All this because of what Pioneer 1 showed today.
Von Braun, Director of the Hughes-Disney Spaceflight Company, then began to
talk about the technical details of the mission. The HD-1 rocket consisted of
two stages, together being about 200 feet tall. After launch from Christmas
Island (south of Hawaii), the first stage's kerosene-oxygen engines burned for
several minutes before detaching. The first stage then fell under parachute to
be recovered in the ocean. The second stage, using a mixture of hydrazine and
nitric acid, then ignited to bring the Pioneer to a 400 mile orbit around the
Earth. The first stage was recovered and though "slightly dented", could in
theory be reused. The spaceship itself is a conical affair, with a television
camera up front and a trio of radio antennas extending from the back. Besides
the images it was returning of the Earth's surface, precise radio tracking of
the vehicle was allowing unprecedented measurements of the Earth's gravity
field and upper atmosphere. A manned flight was planned for "soon", though the
next priority was to launch a satellite into a 24-hour orbit, where it would be
most useful for communications purposes.
Finally, Howard Hughes discussed the commercial aspects of the program. Disney
would be the first customer for a 24-hour satellite, allowing them to broadcast
television shows across the country directly to people's homes. AT&T would be
the next customer with a satellite to facilitate transatlantic telephone calls.
Further discussions are under way with other broadcast and telephone companies.
In addition, the military has expressed some interest in testing high-speed
reentry vehicles. The current schedule is booked solid through the end of 1957,
by which time the larger HD-2 rocket should be ready. Though this was the first
orbital flight, it was the eighth flight of the HD-1, with only two failures so
far. Hughes is confident that they can increase that to a 95% success rate by
the time HD-2 starts flying.
The floor was then opened for questions, with the first being if any of the
three would be on that first manned flight. After a tentative laugh, the
response was "not the first". Talks are under way with foreign broadcast
companies, with Hughes making a point that this was an example of the free
market succeeding where communism has not even tried. Von Braun also confirmed
that a transoceanic passenger transport was in planning, but not ready yet.
LA Times, June 3, 1954
The first stage of the historic HD-1 rocket that launched Pioneer 1 went on
display today at the new "World of Space" exhibit at Disneyland. Lying next to
the flight backups of the second stage and Pioneer, the stage marks the first
time a space vehicle has been put on public display. Also at the exhibit are
televisions showing live images of Earth from the Pioneer.