1958 Exhibit Supply Co. : Missiles
The Missiles card series was released in 1958 by
The Exhibit Supply Co. (ESCO)
in Chicago. The American Card Catalog reference is W452-4. The 18-card
set is the third expansion added to the
1955 Jet Planes collection (W452-1).
The cards were dispensed from ESCO vending machines for a penny each. Each
card measures approximately 3.375 x 5.375 inches, smaller than a standard
postcard. The series was distributed by ESCO with blank backs. Various printings were branded by distributors that include Mutoscope, Nu-Card Sales, and Long Island Lighting Co.
The Missiles series includes the launch of Explorer 1 on February 1, 1958. The Juno I (RS-29) launch vehicle was built by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency under the direction of Wernher von Braun. The Juno I design combined elements of the Jupiter-C, MGM-29 Sergeant, and the PGM-11 Redstone missiles.
The Missiles series includes the launch of Explorer 1 on February 1, 1958. The Juno I (RS-29) launch vehicle was built by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency under the direction of Wernher von Braun. The Juno I design combined elements of the Jupiter-C, MGM-29 Sergeant, and the PGM-11 Redstone missiles.
Explorer 1 was the first satellite launched by the United States, four
months after Sputnik 1. Explorer 1 was officially known as Satellite 1958 Alpha. The satellite was designed and built by Jet
Propulsion Laboratory under the direction of Dr. William H. Pickering. Scientific instrumentation was designed and built by Dr. James Van Allen. The equipment detected a high amount of
charged particles. Dr. Van Allen theorized that the energy was a magnetic belt of radiation. Today, the phenomena is known as the Van Allen Belts.
| Missiles | |
|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Army's Hawk |
| 2 | U.S. Army's Nike Ajax |
| 3 | U.S. Air Force Atlas Missile |
| 4 | U.S. Air Force Goose Missile |
| 5 | Hawk Missiles in Firing Position |
| 6 | U.S. Army's LaCrosse |
| 7 | Launching Jupiter-C “Explorer” |
| 8 | U.S. Army's Nike Hercules |
| 9 | Missile in Firing position |
| 10 | Missile Being Launched |
| 11 | U.S. Army's Honest John Rocket |
| 12 | U.S. Army's Redstone Missile |
| 13 | U.S. Army's LaCrosse soars skyward |
| 14 | Nike Hercules in flight |
| 15 | Nike Hercules on launcher |
| 16 | Redstone being monitored from foxhole |
| 17 | Nike Hercules Streaking Skyward |
| 18 | U.S. Navy's Talos Guided Missile |