Explorer 1 launched. Orbiter was reinstated by President Dwight Eisenhower after numerous issues with Vanguard. Orbiter, led by the Army and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was not originally selected to be part of the International Geophysical Year. Orbiter was renamed Explorer 1 and successfully launched into orbit and then tracked utilizing…
Explorer 1 launched. Orbiter was reinstated by President Dwight Eisenhower after numerous issues with Vanguard. Orbiter, led by the Army and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was not originally selected to be part of the International Geophysical Year. Orbiter was renamed Explorer 1 and successfully launched into orbit and then tracked utilizing the VHF band; Explorer weighed 31 pounds (14 kilograms). Almost two hours after its launch, the antenna in Goldstone, California picked up the signal. This tiny spacecraft accomplished extremely important science including discovering the Van Allen radiation belts which protect the Earth from our sun’s solar wind.