Late on the night of Jan. 31, 1958, it was party time in downtown Huntsville, Alabama. Thousands of local residents gathered on the square around the county courthouse amid the din created by blaring sirens, blasting car horns, exploding fireworks, and the sounds of human jubilation. People waved their own homemade signs or held up placards provided by the city’s Boys Club, showing what local journalists described as the “infectious excitement and swelling pride at having a part — however small — in launching the new artificial moon.”

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Size: 8000px × 4500px
Photo credit: © Operation 2023 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: .., abma, amcom, army, explorer, race, space