Lynn Poole introduces this program by showing photos of early Wright brothers' planes, a Martin 404, and a rocket. Clyde Holliday, a senior engineer at Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Lab, describes the Aerobee sounding rocket, developed by Aerojet Engineering Corp. in cooperation with the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance. Holliday shows a diagram of the 1,000 lb., 20-foot Aerobee as he explains its specifications and component parts. A film details a typical Aerobee preparation and take-off at White Sands proving ground in New Mexico. Holliday displays a still camera, installed in two rockets, that photographed one picture every two seconds of the upper atmosphere. Several photos from 70 miles up create a 1,400-mile panorama of the U.S. southwest. The camera is justified as a means to determine the rocket's position in space for properly reading data, to obtain meteorological data, and to perform long-range reconnaissance. Holliday also developed a 35 mm. motion picture camera that records views on either side of the rocket. He displays the internal workings of the movie camera in operation, a lens from the camera, and a motion picture taken by the camera. A film captures the preparation and launching of a V-2 rocket, including Holliday inserting the camera into the rocket. Camera views of the earth from 78 miles up reveal the curvature of the earth, the Gulf of California, and other distinctive landmarks.

Host Lynn Poole reviews highlights of programs from the past year: "Freezing the Atom" (10/10/50) shows how atoms are slowed down and the development of the bolometer; "Electronics at Work in a Vacuum"(10/25/50) describes the development of the vacuum tube and the principles behind it, using puffed wheat in a jar as an example; "Your Questions About Science" (12/26/50) explains and demonstrates atomic chain reaction or nuclear fission using mouse traps and sugar cubes; "The Unbreakable Laws of the Universe" (1/2/51) explains the physical laws governing all things: inertia, action and equal reaction, conservation of motion, gravity, and atmospheric pressure; "Fight Against Polio" (1/16/51) filmed at the Children's Hospital in Baltimore, MD, shows how polio victims are being strengthened and restored to a normal life; "Don't Take Your Heart for Granted" (2/13/51) describes what the heart is, what can happen to it, and how to take care of it; "Archaeology: Key to the Past" (3/13/51) looks at the work of archaeologists and their study of the lost civilization of the Etruscans; "Cancer Will Be Conquered" (4/10/51) features Dr. Gey describing the differences between normal and cancerous cells and showing a magnified, live view of the separation of normal and abnormal human cells; "Is There Science in Art?" (2/27/51) reveals the science of cleaning varnish and dirt from old paintings at the Walters Art Gallery and the art of using x-rays and ultraviolet light to restore old paintings to their original intent. Poole also thanks the studio staff and mentions other favorite programs: "Fear" (103/50), "X-Ray, the Super Sleuth" (12/5/50), "Stream Pollution" (5/1/51), "Don't Drink That Water" (3/20/51), "Schistosomiasis" (11/21/50), and "Magnificent Microscope" (5/15/51).

Lynn Poole explains that "microscope" is from the two Greek words "mikros," small, and "skopos," a watcher. He notes that Dutch Antony Van Leeuwenhoek and English Robert Hooke were both instrumental in the development of the instrument and that Charles A. Spencer was America's first microscope maker. Dr. Schwartz, using the RCA Vidicon (a microscope connected to a television monitor), shows slides of water specimens from ponds in New York and New Jersey. The organisms he identifies include one-celled blepharisma and stentor, which he compares to the multi-celled rotifer, the plant spirogyra, diatoms, and the beating heart of a daphnia or water flea. Dr. Schwartz also shows a replica of Van Leeuwenhoek's microscope and his drawings of bacteria, and he demonstrates how to make a slide for viewing.

G.K. Green, a senior physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, N.Y., discusses the cosmotron, an atom smasher made possible by the Atomic Energy Commission and operated by nine universities, including Johns Hopkins. Mr. Green first explains that carbon atoms form charcoal and diamonds and that the nucleus of carbon consists of half neutrons and half protons. He then shows a model of a ring-shaped cyclotron, a slice of the magnet and vacuum chamber within, and a film of the actual machine in operation. A Van de Graaff generator, a particle accelerator, shoots protons into the vacuum chamber of the magnet, and they build up speed with each rotation up to 4 million revolutions per second. At 180,000 miles per second, the protons collide with a target resulting in mesons, medium weight particles. Mr. Green also shows a film of a cloud chamber in which atomic particles leave vapor trails. He says the purpose of the cosmotron is to probe the center of the atom.

Using a skeleton, Dr. Nachlas discusses the body's skeletal system and explains how bones' rigidity protects the body's vital organs and offers attachment for muscles. He shows how a broken bone must have approximate broken edges, proper alignment of broken pieces, and immobilization of the bones in order to heal properly. Since plaster casts cannot always accomplish this, Dr. Nachlas details how bones can be splinted and immobilized internally with such metals as vitalium, tantalum, and stainless steel, which do not corrode or cause infection. He shows an x-ray of fractured leg bones held in place by long, stainless steel rods running down the marrow cavities. He also describes the correction of a difficult forearm fracture using a rod and interviews the woman who had the operation to correct this problem to prove how the metal rod strengthened and straightened her arm. Dr. Nachlas gives another example of how a fragment of bone was replicated with vitalium.

This program tells the story of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, the men who drafted the document, the printing of it, and its travels between states under adverse conditions, including its transference to Fort Knox during World War II. Finally, Dr. Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress, asked for construction of a display case. On Constitution Day, September 17, 1951, the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were finally sealed in helium in an airtight glass envelope. Film clips show the ceremony and speakers, including President Harry S. Truman, Senator Theodore F. Green of Rhode Island, Chief Justice Fred M. Vincent, and Rev. Frederick Brown Harris, chaplain of Congress. The National Bureau of Standards developed the method for preservation after researching conditions promoting deterioration of parchment, and a reconstruction of their preservation process is explained.

Dr. Dethier explains his research for the perfect insect repellent. He discusses and gives examples of the five qualities of a perfect repellent: odorless, inexpensive, non-toxic, cosmetically acceptable, and effective for extended periods of time. Using a diagram of a blowfly's anatomy, Dr. Dethier explains how the flies are used in repellent research. Then using a series of actual flies, their wings waxed to sticks, Dr. Dethier puts the feet of the fly successively into sugar water, .01% glycol and sugar, and .1% glycol and sugar to observe the fly's reaction. The result is generally the average of a 100-fly test. Dr. Dethier then shows how one can predict the feasibility of some chemical compounds as repellents by their composition. He constructs a graph and using aldehydes, plots the repellent effect in relation to the size of the compound's molecules.

This program takes place during the meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in Washington, DC, where new developments in X-ray technology are exhibited. After Lynn Poole explains x-rays' discovery by William Roentgen (1895), their definition, and their use, Dr. Russell Morgan interviews three scientists from the conference. Dr. E.S. Gurdjian, a Wayne State University radiologist, describes types of automobile accidents and shows how x-rays can demonstrate the severity of skull fractures at different speeds. Dr. Wallace Tirman, of Caylor Nichol Institute in Bluffton, Indiana, demonstrates a technique for using fine-grain film to make x-rays viewable under a microscope. These microradiographs show thin slices of body tissue for analysis on a diffraction x-ray unit. Dr. Jeffrey P. Moore, of Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, shows that inserting a needle into a patient's back and injecting an opaque material is a more direct method for x-raying the spinal column to diagnose cartilage problems.

The most efficient time for planting crops can be determined by scientific methods. A study of climatic factors leads to the development of a growth index for setting a time table for planting anad harvesting for producing crops with the best quality.

Tests are performed to judge the capability to operate an automobile. Vision, depth perception, reaction time, and knowledge of safety factors, road conditions, and traffic laws affect the capability to drive.