First U.S. satellite was launched 50 years ago
Feb 1st, 2008 by RedPepper
On January 31, 1958 the first U.S. satellite was launched into Earth orbit atop a Jupiter C rocket developed beneath the direction of Wernher von Braun by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency.
Starting the era of space exploration for the United States, Explorer I was a 30.8 pound satellite that carried instruments to measure temperatures, micrometeorite impacts, and an experiment designed by James A. Van Allen to calculate the density of electrons and ions in space.
The measurements completed by Van Allen’s research led to a surprising discovery an earth-encircling belt of high energy electrons and ions trapped in the magnetosphere currently recognized as the Van Allen Radiation Belt.
Explorer I ended transmitting on February 28, 1958, but remained in orbit until March of 1970.
Image: Explorer 1 was the first U.S. satellite and the first satellite to carry science instruments. The satellite was launched on Jan. 31, 1958, from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Explorer 1 followed a looping flight path that orbited Earth once every 114 minutes. The satellite went as high as 2,565 kilometers (1,594 miles) and as low as 362 kilometers (225 miles) above Earth. – Credit: NASA