Explorer 1 (1958 Alpha 1) was the first Earth satellite of the United States, launched as part of its participation in the International Geophysical Year. The mission followed the first two Earth satellites the previous year, the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 and 2, beginning the Cold War Space Race between the two nations.
Explorer 1 was launched on January 31, 1958 at 22:48 Eastern Time (equal to February 1, 03:48 UTC) atop the first Juno booster from LC-26 at the Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida. It was the first spacecraft to detect the Van Allen radiation belt, returning data until its batteries were exhausted after nearly four months. It remained in orbit until 1970, and has been followed by more than 90 scientific spacecraft in the Explorer series.
Read more about Explorer 1: Background, Spacecraft Design, Science Payload, Flight, Results, Legacy, Gallery
Famous quotes containing the word explorer:
“Well, Philippe, he died because of his work. He was like an—like an explorer in a wild country where no one had ever been before. He was searching for the truth, he almost found a great truth, but for one instant he was careless.”
—James Clavell (b. 1924)