318 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1964 



placed in orbit on November 3. Moonv/atch teams had even been 

 able to sight the faint third component (the nose cone) of Sputnik I. 

 Widely separated teams reported 11 different observations; without 

 these the existence of 1957 a3 might never have been verified. 



Under the leadership of Leon Campbell, Jr., Moonwatch was more 

 than fulfilling the expectations of its creators and was demonstrat- 

 ing its ability to provide data of singular scientific significance. 



THE MOONWATCH TEAMS 



Hundreds of people of widely differing personalities and vocations 

 had responded to the romantic and even adventuresome appeal of 

 Moonwatch. Among professionals who joined were many doctors, 

 dentists, engineers, clergymen, and teachers. Radio hams and photog- 

 raphers were especially attracted to the program. Then there were 

 the scores of housewives, salesmen, clerks, factory workers, and secre- 

 taries. Students were particularly responsive and came not only 

 from high school and college levels but from grade school as well. 

 One could even find a watclunaker, an artist, a retired Naval captain, 

 a newspaperman, a railway engineer, a priest, a weatherman, a hotel 

 administrator, and an automobile dealer. And the inmates of a State 

 penitentiary offered to establish a team; difficulties in choosing an 

 acceptable observing site rendered this suggestion impractical. 



In all, the teams represented a fine balance between the enthusiasm 

 of the amateur and the skill of the teclmician. "Wliat was most needed, 

 however, and fortmiately usually was found, was the ability to get 

 along with people, and, for the leaders, a talent for organizing and 

 inspiring others. Frequently, the pattern was for the engineer or 

 other technical specialist to design new equipment, develop observing 

 techniques, and set up efficient communications, while a clergyman, or 

 teacher, or doctor would arouse and sustain the interest of other 

 members of the team. 



That interest was infectious. In many communities, Moonwatch 

 took up where Chautauqua and similar activities of the 19th century 

 left off. Then, Americans had neither radio nor television; people 

 in small towns made many of their own amusements and intellectual 

 pursuits, and brought in outsiders to lecture, teach, and entertain. 

 Today, everybody is likely to stay in his own living room and watch 

 television. Moonwatch drew many people away from such passivity 

 and back into a community activity in which many could participate 

 either directly or indirectly. Even those who were not members of a 

 local Moonwatch team could derive much satisfaction from supporting 

 it. 



Additional support came from companies and business firms, which 

 often helped to coordinate the efforts of the teams. One company, 



