Two young Italian amateur radio enthusiasts eaves-dropped on top secret space
transmissions and in doing so lifted the lid on the race to space.
The brothers Achille and Giovanbattista Judica-Cordiglia had their passions
ignited by tuning into Sputnik 1 in 1957.
They were also keen home movie buffs and captured their exploits on film.
With home built equipment they monitored both the Soviets and the Americans
as they explored space. Their activities did anger authorities behind the
Iron Curtain. At one time Radio Moscow branded the pair as ‘space gangsters’ after they exposed failures of early space flights.
Their extensive archive of audio recordings includes that of a human heart-beat
and laboured breathing from space in 1961, which an Italian cardiologist
diagnosed as being from a dying man. On another occasion cosmonauts were heard
experiencing enormous heat, and then abrupt silence, another failed space
mission.
The boys entered an Italian television quiz show with the topic of space and
won easily. With the cash prize they bought tickets and headed to the United
States.
NASA officials were initially in disbelief when the brothers played their
tape recording of Astronaut John Glenn from space, but soon recognised their
talent that led to collaborative efforts.
The documentary, Space Hackers, depicts amateur radio’s spirit of
experimentation which includes orbit predictions, coping with Doppler
frequency shift, extensive antenna design and construction.
Jim Linton VK3PC
VK1WIA.
• The Southgate Amateur Radio Club has discovered the video posted on YouTube
Space Hackers (1/6)
This YouTube video is in 6 parts. To watch the other parts, click here
