Americans were stunned when the Soviets launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, on Oct. 4, 1957. A month later, Sputnik 2 orbited with a dog as a passenger.
Plans to launch an American satellite began in 1954 and despite strong advocacy from the ABMA, the Eisenhower Administration chose the U.S. Navy’s Vanguard project to lead the nation’s efforts for the IGY. However, the first attempt to orbit a Vanguard satellite ended in a launch pad explosion on Dec. 6, 1957.
The job of launching America’s first satellite then was given to ABMA, which had been waiting for just such an opportunity. Taking on the task of designing and building the Explorer 1 satellite was the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, directed by Dr. William Pickering.
The Explorer 1 effort included the work of the satellite’s principal investigator, Dr. James Van Allen, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa. He had been studying cosmic rays around the Earth. Van Allen developed instrumentation to measure the concentration of ions and electrons in space and to detect cosmic rays. By Jan. 11, 1958, the work of assembling and testing the 30.8-pound, 6-foot, 9-inch Explorer 1 satellite was complete.
Picture Credit : Google
