 Wallops Island, the Delmarva Peninsula, on the eastern shore of Virginia. Here, intertwined with chinketeague ponies and wildlife reserves, you'll find the world of tomorrow. A world where almost every day is the 4th of July. This is Wallops Station, Wallops Island, Virginia. Here, 24 hours a day, monstrous antenna probe out her space, and giant saucer-shaped ears tune in on high-flying satellites and rocket-borne experiments, poised and waiting to be used in scientific experiments for the peaceful uses of all mankind. Yet, strangely enough, few people outside those directly connected with Wallops know much about it or what goes on here. Even fewer realize that a good deal of the success of what goes on at Cape Kennedy may depend on the seldom publicized exploits of the men and facilities here at Wallops. Here at the University of Michigan, Dr. Fortin for one didn't know about Wallops. He thought the island called Wallops was a missile range used in testing and developing military rockets. However, it wasn't until he needed assistance to launch his experiment into outer space that he learned differently. A reply to his inquiry for launching assistance explained that the specific function of Wallops is to offer assistance in scientific experiments like the one he planned to conduct. And that Wallops is the only launch facility in the country under civilian control and completely owned and operated by NASA. Upon arrival at Wallops, Dr. Fortin was even more surprised to learn that Wallops is more than an island. He discovered that Wallops' station comprised three separate areas. This is the main base. Located on the main line, it was formerly used by the Navy as an air station. It contains the administration buildings, shops and facilities such as this range control center. Here, Dr. Fortin was briefed on the role the control center will play in his experiment. His tour of the main base revealed extensive support of the facility. The second area, the island called Wallops, was named after John Wallop, a 17th century surveyor. Five miles long, the island lies off the coast of Virginia, approximately seven miles southeast of the main base. Here, Dr. Fortin found launch sites, assembly shops, storage facilities. Tracking sites, lock houses and test facilities. The third area making up the station is this half-mile strip of mainland behind the island. It contains the long-range radar and optical tracking sites. From the initial conference with Wallops engineers, Dr. Fortin discovered the product turned out at Wallops' service. From that moment on, the station's specialized engineering skills and rocket launch know-how were placed at his disposal, while some worked with his staff on the assembly of the scientific payload. Others worked with Dr. Fortin to assemble the launch vehicle and coordinate facility use necessary to accomplish the job. Wallops was set up to do just about anything, regardless of scope, type or size of an experiment. Here, others arranged for the necessary data processing and reduction necessary for the final analysis of his experiment. At the Atomic Energy Commission Headquarters, Germantown, Maryland, Dr. Eggers was another who had never heard of Wallops. It wasn't until his agency requested NASA assistance on an experimental research project that he became acquainted with Wallops. Wallops, well, good. Now where is it? Dr. Eggers learned the station was established as early as 1945. And that Wallops is the oldest range from which test firings were originally conducted by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. He discovered as many as seven rocket stages had been used to launch research payloads at Wallops. The number of stages varying with the experiment. More than 4,000 research rockets had been launched, with over 300 research vehicles being launched each year. Once Dr. Eggers' requirements as a range user were known, the Wallops project engineer fed his requirements to all range departments, range instrumentation, engineering, vehicle preparation, and range safety. Downrange support was scheduled. This he learned sometimes involved a worldwide tracking method. Dr. Eggers learned most tests are supported with photographic coverage and optical tracking facilities. With devices like this one, measurements of the atmosphere are taken to determine the characteristics of the media the rocket will fly in. The weather sacked in on the day that ACTI's experiment was to be launched. After consulting with the test director, his project was scrubbed and scheduled for the next available day. Successfully launched the next day. The information and data were collected, and the Atomic Energy Commission was able to get the necessary information they sought. In general, the rocket-borne experiments flown here at the Wallops Island range are conceived and for the most part designed and built by scientists and engineers in laboratories and research centers all over the country. John Blake has such a project in process in his laboratory at the Langley Research Center. Recently, his experiment was transported and hand carried into an assigned laboratory on the station. From the minute his experiment arrived, a signed Wallops personnel assisted him in every way. Here, his payload was checked out and preparations for final assembly and flight made. On occasion, Wallops personnel will build special types of instrumentation and equipment needed to complement a payload. Instrumentation and equipment not readily available by other means. Keep in mind the basic mission of Wallops Station is to prepare, assemble, launch, track and record data in the process. Reduced to meaningful form, this data is turned over to each range used to be analyzed and used as appropriate. Occasionally, research is conducted with free-fall instrumented payloads on models dropped from aircraft. Wallops also performs recovery operations when necessary to recover vehicles launched from Wallops Station. In addition, Wallops works closely with other countries interested in the scientific exploration of space. More than 40 countries have sent representatives to observe its operation. Many have sought assistance in establishing a sounding rocket launch facility of their own. And Wallops personnel have been assigned overseas to help with their initial launches. A number of countries have brought experiments to Wallops in recent years for launching. Others have sent technical personnel here for training in methods and techniques of launching sounding rockets. Senor Fausti of the Italian Space Commission. While here, Senor Fausti will receive on-the-job training in every phase of Wallops operations, vehicle preparation and launch procedure. Before he is finished, Senor Fausti will qualify in range operations on his country's space experiments. And like this range safety officer, he is now assisting, he will someday sit in a range control center and have similar responsibilities. This is the scout rocket. Tons of metal, rubber, plastic and highly inflammable fuel. With hands poised on switches that could blow the rocket's casing open and send it burning into the sea, the range safety officer and Senor Fausti watch scout soar skyward. In the event of trouble, it will be this range officer's decision to destroy or not destroy the vehicle. A decision that could send a $2 million research project to the junkyard. Pouring into the control center via radio and intercom come reports from range safety units. From radar stations. And from range telemetry. Information that tells whether the rocket is performing properly. Whether it is headed in the right direction. This mission is successful. And Senor Fausti and the range safety officer at last can rest easy. As the data from the experiment is recorded and sorted in banks of recorders. Launches are conducted at Wallops night and day. And the public is invited to view launches when they occur. Tours are even arranged. The experiment now about to be launched is Mr. Blake's. He and his staff have worked on this project at Wallops for the past 30 days. The culmination of their efforts is about to take place. And as the sound of its rocket rolls across the marshes toward the mainland. Radar. Telemetry. And the glassy eyes of grinding cameras follow the rocket. Each mark made by a plot board pen tells trained eyes everything is going according to plan. Recorders here at the telemetry center are already storing away the data. Back at the photo lab, films of the flight are processed immediately. All over Wallops reports must still be written and studies made of the findings. Completed, John Blake and his staff will take this data. They will study it, analyze it, and publish their findings. For the men at Wallops, what is transpired is all in a day's work. They must now prepare for tomorrow's schedule. And while they do, other engineers at Wallops are meeting with government agencies, universities and contractors on future long-range projects. They are planning now to be sure Wallops will have the facilities to handle the needs of scientists for four to five years in the future so that Wallops main product then as now can be serviced.