Explorer I
Credit & Copyright: Courtesy
JPL,
NASA
Explanation:
Inaugurating
the era of space exploration for the US,
the First Explorer was
launched into Earth orbit
forty years ago (February 1, 1958)
by
the Army Ballistic Missle Agency.
The
Explorer I satellite weighed about 30 pounds, was
6 feet long, 6 inches in diameter and consisted of batteries,
transmitters, and
scientific instrumentation built into
the fourth stage of
a Jupiter-C rocket.
Foreshadowing NASA and
the adventurous and
successful Explorer Program,
Explorer I bolstered national prestige
in
the wake of Sputnik.
The satellite also contributed to a
spectacular scientific bonanza -
the discovery of Earth-girdling belts of magnetically
trapped charged particles now known as the
Van Allen Radiation Belts.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
