Launch of Explorer 1

On January 31st, 1958, the United States launched its first satellite into orbit.

Explorer 1 launched on a Jupiter C rocket, a design developed by Wernher von Braun that was a direct descendant of the German V-2 rocket that had been used by the Nazis during WWII.

Explorer 1 carried a cosmic ray detector that measured the radiation of the environment in orbit. The measurements made by this instrument showed a lower than expected amount of cosmic rays.

According to a NASA article, "Van Allen theorized that the instrument may have been saturated by very strong radiation from a belt of charged particles trapped in space by Earth's magnetic field. The existence of these radiation belts was confirmed by another U.S. satellite launched two months later, and they became known as the Van Allen Belts in honor of their discoverer."

Explorer 1 functioned until May 23rd, 1958 at which time it's batteries were depleted, and it was no longer able to transmit data.

The 80-inch-long by 6.25-inch diameter spacecraft only weighed 30 pounds, significantly lighter than Sputnik's 183.9 pounds. Explorer 1 was significant because it was the first satellite NASA launched into orbit, instead of just into space on a suborbital trajectory.

While early NASA flights weren't always successful, Explorer 1 marked a significant milestone for American spaceflight.

A few years ago, I took the "Then and Now" tour while visiting Kennedy Space Center. I was able to walk out to the pad where Explorer 1 lifted off from.

Standing on the exact spot where the first American satellite launched from was a humbling experience. The historical significance of these early spaceflights is just as important as the Wright Brother's first flights.

Picture credit- NASA.

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