Space Ship Takeoff, a Technical Fantasy

1928 WELTRAUM SCHIFFI STARTET EINE TECHNISCHE FANTASIE (SPACE SHIP TAKEOFF, A TECHNICAL FANTASY). ARC Identifier 67908 / Local Identifier 342-USAF-28533. Summary: A German film depicting, through the use of special effects and animation, the launch of a space ship and its trip around the moon and return. Brief scenes are included of early German rocket power experiments. Selected footage in Reel 1: 410'-432' Early German launch of a small rocket from a trough-type launcher. 436' MS's & CU's of igniters being wired to rockets on the Opel RAK-2 rocket-propelled car. 447' MS to MLS of German rocket pioneer, Max Valier, sitting in his Valier RAK-6 liquid rocket-propelled car. 451' MS of Fritz Von Opel sitting in his Opel RAK-2 rocket-propelled car. 456' MCU of igniters being wired to rockets of Opel RAK-2 rocket-propelled car. 460' LS's of Fritz Von Opel driving his Opel RAK-2 car at Avus Track, Berlin, Germany, 23 May 1928. 472' LS of the Sander-Opel RAK-3 rocket-propelled car run on railroad tracks, 23 June 1928. 475' LS's & MS's of preparations and flight of the Opel-Sander RAK-1 rocket-powered glider, September 1928. 502' LS's firing of a small liquid-powered rocket. 521' MS fueling a rocket-propelled car with liquid oxygen. 531' LS camera pans right with the run of an early model German rocket-propelled car along runway of an airport. 536' CU of Max Valier sitting in the Valier RAK-6 car. 545'-549' MLS ignition of the rockets of the Sander-Opel RAK-3 car mounted on railroad tracks. Good (Basic: Dupe neg) Department of Defense. Department of the Air Force. (09/26/1947 - ) Made possible by a donation from Sabine Kirstein.

Category:

Education

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[PaterVisitator]

If only Germany had put her talents and money into this project instead of letting it's physicists construct cannons and rifles for the war...Maybe we would already have reached mars.

[granddad2002]

It shows a lot of the features of the Apollo 8 flight. It only took 30 years for this achievement? The global tracking network was correct, but used radio instead of optical tracking. Pity there were no space station to dock with in this film?

[smurfswacker]

Thanks for posting such a beautiful print of this rare film. I've heard about it for decades but saw only bits from "The Space Explorers" and a few super-poor fragments. The model work is spectacular!

[cart00nist]

Just turn the volume up. The sound is perfect - for a film from the thirties.

[queenloislane]

Der Ton ist viel zu leise.

Please make the sound louder!!!!

[hburg32]

It was made in 1937 and shown on German television in 1938 (only few could watch). It's about ppl landing on the moon in 1963. Funny design but impressive how they knew that it will happen after they discovered liquid rocket fuel.

[hagerty1952]

I've known about this short film for a decade or more, but have never seen anything but short clips. What a great find to see the whole thing!

[Chesterton7]

Wow!

[pythonspace]

ummm -- subtitles, please?!

[n85639]

This was made in 1938.