The San Diego Air & Space Museum’s many collections include complete documentation of the history of the Atlas missile, both in its initial role as the nation’s first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), and in its later highly successful role as a space launch vehicle. This collection is a one-of-a-kind national treasure. The Atlas was designed, developed, tested and manufactured in San Diego for the Air Force by the General Dynamics Corporation.

More than 500 Atlas ICBM and space launch vehicles were built in San Diego. Atlas provided an effective Cold War deterrent in its role as America’s first ICBM. The Atlas also served later as a reliable and powerful space launch vehicle for sending America’s first astronauts into Earth orbit. Atlas also launched the first satellite to project a human voice from space in 1958, broadcasting a message to Earth from President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In March 2015, the Museum’s Library & Archives received a two-year National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration to digitize and catalog thousands of the Museum’s Atlas missile and space launch system images. This project is now nearing completion. More than ten volunteers assisted in this effort. To date, over 125,000 images have been cataloged, of which 42,000 have been digitized and placed on Flickr. 

These images have already received more than four million views and have collected thousands of contributing viewer comments. As a part of this project, the Library & Archives team also cataloged thousands of additional negatives. These negatives, initially unidentified, are now housed and identified, and available for future review and research. Images digitized as a part of this project are available for viewing online at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157649485000247