Wed, Jan 30, 2008
AIAA Will Mark 50th Anniversary Of Explorer I Launch
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
will designate Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) as a
Historic Aerospace Site during a ceremony Thursday, celebrating the
50th anniversary of the launch of America’s first satellite,
Explorer 1. A historic marker will be unveiled during the ceremony
at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum, located at Cape
Canaveral's Complex 26... the actual site of the Explorer 1
launch.
Among those slated to participate in the ceremony are Air Force
Brig. Gen. Susan Helms, Commander of the 45th Space Wing, and
former 45th Space Wing commander Air Force Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Robert
Dickman, AIAA’s Executive Director. More than 50 veterans of
the Explorer I program are also expected to attend.
Established by the US Air Force in 1950 as Operating
Sub-Division No. 1, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station served as the
primary launch base for the developmental phases of America’s
space and missile programs. America’s Space Age era began
here with the launch of Explorer I in 1958, and soon saw the launch
of America’s first astronaut, Alan Shepard, in 1961. Since
then, CCAFS has supported more than three thousand launches on the
Air Force’s Eastern Range, including manned missions, robotic
voyages exploring our solar system, and national security
operations.
AIAA established the Historic Aerospace Sites Program in January
2000 to promote the preservation of, and the dissemination of
information about, significant accomplishments made in the
aerospace profession. In addition to Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, some of the other sites recognized by the AIAA History
Technical Committee are the original Bendix Aviation Company in
Teterboro, NJ; the Boeing Red Barn in Seattle; Kitty Hawk, NC; the
site of the first balloon launch in Annonay, France; and
Tranquility Base on the moon.
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