On October 24, 1946, the first image of the Earth could be taken. For this, a camera mounted on the rocket that belonged to the German arsenal during World War II was used.

The V2 rocket used was the 13th launch of a US space project, in which they replaced the explosive warheads of several ballistic missiles with scientific instruments and a 35mm camera that was programmed to take a picture every 1.5 seconds.

The camera, which was located between the fuel tanks, used the fire control system of a B-29 bomber to capture images 105 kilometers above the ground after being launched from White Sands Missile Range in New York. Mexico, USA

Before this material, the curvature of the planet had already been captured, but they came from the crew of the high-altitude balloon “Explorer II”, which made its captures 22 kilometers up in a mission funded by the National Geographic Society.

These images, taken at five times that height, were also notable because it was the first time that the blackness of space had been clearly seen.

A camera built to last
For the return of the V2 and not having any type of parachute or element to help it slow down, those in charge of the project had to place all the instruments in armored casings and wait for them to survive the crash.

In addition, to locate the rocket they had to use a radar that only gave them the approximate area of impact. After finding the place where the V2 had fallen, they realized that the camera had survived the crash and was in almost perfect condition, although one of its lenses was missing.