Explorer-1 Satellite, 1958
Explorer 1, America's first successful artificial satellite, being placed in position in the nose cone of a Juno booster rocket ready for launch. Explorer 1 was launched on January 31, 1958, after the USSR took the USA by surprise by launching the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957. The satellite measured meters in length and weighed 14 kilograms. It orbited Earth at heights of between 360 kilometers and 2520 kilometers until March 31, 1970. It carried a geiger counter, used to detect cosmic rays. Data collected by the satellite led to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt, a torus of charged particles held in place by the Earth's magnetic field.
Size: 3100px × 4013px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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