1958 Atlantic Union Oil Company : Conquest of the Air



1958 Atlantic Union Oil Company : Conquest of the Air #64 - Sputnik I

The Conquest of the Air Atlantic Picture Pageant series was issued in 1958 by the Atlantic Union Oil Company of Australia. The illustrated 64-card collection showcases the history of aviation from a flying machine design by Leonardo da Vinci to the launch of Sputnik 1. Each card measures approximately 2 x 2.75 inches (51 x 76 mm). An Atlantic Picture Pageant album was distributed at participating Atlantic petrol service stations. The Conquest of the Air album is held in the collection of the National Library of Australia.

The image of the Soviet Sputnik 1 satellite is not accurate, likely due to the limited information available at the time of publication. Sputnik (Спутник) is Russian for "companion" or "satellite." The first man-made object to orbit the Earth was launched on October 4, 1957, from Baikonur Cosmodrome in modern-day Kazakhstan. The event was a catalyst for the creation of NASA and the beginning of the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The satellite transmitted audio pulses at 20.005 and 40.002 MHz. Air pressure and temperature data was encoded into the radio signal duration and pauses. Sputnik 1 reentered the atmosphere on January 4, 1958, after completing about 1,440 orbits around the Earth.

1958 Atlantic Union Oil Company : Conquest of the Air #64 - Sputnik I


Checklist
1 Leonardo da Vinci
2 Wilbur and Orville Wright
3 Blériot
4 Sopwith "Tabloid"
5 Vickers "Gun Bus"
6 Sopwith Camel
7 SPAD S-7
8 Bristol Fighter F.2B
9 Fokker Type E
10 Fokker DR.I
11 Handley-Page H.P. 0/400
12 Bristol Racer Type 72
13 Fokker FV11B—3M "Southern Cross"
14 Macchi M39
15 Short Calcutta
16 Supermarine S6B
17 Junkers J13
18 Douglas DC-2
19 Handley-Page "Hannibal"
20 Breguet Helicopter
21 Bell 47D
22 Piasecki YH-16 Transporter
23 Lockheed "Vega" "Winnie Mae"
24 Supermarine Spitfire
25 Focke Wulf Fw.190
26 Messerschmitt Bf.109
27 Hawker Hurricane
28 MiG-3
29 Mitsubishi Zero-Sen
30 Messerschmitt Me.262
31 Bristol Beaufighter
32 Wirraway
33 De Havilland Mosquito
34 Junkers Ju.87 Stuka
35 Lockheed P-38 "Lightning"
36 Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt"
37 North American P-51 "Mustang"
38 Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina
39 Short Sunderland
40 Vickers Wellington
41 Junkers Ju.88
42 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
43 Consolidated B-24 Liberator
44 Avro Lancaster
45 Handley Page Halifax
46 Boeing B-29 "Superfortress"
47 V2 Rocket Bomb
48 Bell X-1 Skyrocket
49 Saunders Roe SR/A1
50 Fairey F.D.2
51 Boeing RB-52B Stratofortress
52 Airspeed Ambassador
53 Hawker Hunter
54 Commonwealth Sabre CA-27
55 Avro 698 Vulcan
56 Convair 440 "Metropolitan"
57 Douglas DC-7
58 Lockheed Super Constellation
59 Boeing 707 "Stratocruiser"
60 De Havilland Comet
61 Vickers Viscount
62 Bristol Britannia
63 Douglas DC-8
64 Sputnik I