Explorer 1 was the first artificial satellite launched by the United States, placed into orbit on January 31, 1958, in response to the Soviet Union launch of Sputnik 1 several months earlier. Instruments aboard the satellite, designed by physicist James Van Allen, detected a band of charged particles trapped by Earth magnetic field, a discovery that led to the identification of what became known as the Van Allen radiation belts. Explorer 1 remained in orbit until 1970 and marked the beginning of the long running Explorer program of NASA scientific satellites.
Facts
Spacecraft Type ManufacturerJet Propulsion Laboratory 1 StatusReentered atmosphere on March 31, 1970 1 Connections
Associated With
Juno I launched Explorer 1 on 31 January 1958, the first successful American satellite.
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Operated By
Explorer 1, the first satellite launched by the United States (1958), was a NASA/JPL mission flown in the agency's founding year.
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Sources
1. Wikipedia - Explorer 1
Infobox, mission type
Science Explorer
Infobox, manufacturer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Wikipedia body, decay
reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean on 31 March 1970
View the SourceWikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation- Operated By: NASA, Wikipedia: Explorer 1, lead section
- Associated With: Juno I, Wikipedia: Explorer 1, lead section
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