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Credit & Copyright: NASA
Explanation:
Sixty years ago, on January 31, 1958,
the
First Explorer was successfully
launched by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency on a
Jupiter-C rocket.
Inaugurating the era of space exploration for the United States,
Explorer I was
a thirty pound satellite that carried instruments to
measure temperatures, and micrometeorite impacts,
along with an experiment designed by
James A.
Van Allen to measure the density of electrons and ions in space.
The measurements made by Van Allen's experiment led to an
unexpected and then startling discovery of
two earth-encircling belts of high energy electrons
and ions trapped in the magnetosphere.
Now known as the
Van
Allen Radiation belts, the regions are
located in the inner magnetosphere, beyond
low Earth orbit.
Explorer I ceased transmitting on February 28, 1958, but
remained in orbit until March of 1970.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: satellite - explorer 1
Publications with words: satellite - explorer 1
See also: