Milestones of Flight: Explorer I
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| Audience/Grade: | High School Freshman - Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Aerospace Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): |
History of Technology |
| Learning Resource Type: | Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: | Document |
| Author(s): | Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum |
| Description: | "Explorer 1 became America's first satellite on January 31, 1958. Following the Soviet success with Sputnik and the embarrassing failure in December 1957 of the first American attempt to launch a satellite, the U.S. Army launched a scientific satellite using a rocket that had been developed to test guided missile components. Explorer 1 carried an instrument package developed by a team at the State University of Iowa under the direction of Professor James A. Van Allen. Data returned by Explorer 1 and Explorer 3 (launched in March 1958) provided evidence that the Earth is surrounded by intense bands of radiation, now called the Van Allen radiation belts. This was the first major scientific discovery of the space age. " |
| Rating: | No Rating |
| Related Resources | |
| Is Component of |
Aeronautics and Space History - Smithsonian Institute |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | 2008 |
| Platform/Format: | WWW |
| Cost: | Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/GAL100/exp1.html |
| Metadata: | IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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