America's First Satellite Sent Into Orbit January 31, 1958
A half-century ago, the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory's Explorer 1 spacecraft became
America’s first Earth-orbiting satellite when it sailed into
space on January 31, 1958. In honor of the historic achievement
that launched the United States into the space age, JPL and Caltech
invite the public to the premiere of a new documentary chronicling
the story of Explorer 1. The screenings are a special presentation
of Caltech’s Voice and Vision series and JPL’s Theodore
von Karman lecture series.
Following the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in October
1957 -- and with the explosion of the US Vanguard rocket just weeks
later -- the White House turned to JPL and the US Army Ballistic
Missile Agency to launch a satellite as quickly as possible. JPL
designed and built the satellite, the upper stages of the rocket,
and a tracking system while the Army’s Redstone Arsenal in
Huntsville, AL produced the liquid-filled rocket.
The successful launch of Explorer 1, followed by the formation
of NASA in October 1958, transformed JPL from a producer of
ballistic missiles to a preeminent center for robotic exploration
of our solar system and beyond. The documentary will air in local
and national media outlets, as well as on Discovery HD Theater.
In addition to the documentary, JPL will also host a two-day
educator's conference on Explorer 1, on January 26-28. Science and
social studies educators, museum staff and high school students are
invited to attend. Students must register and an adult must
accompany youths under 18.
The JPL Amateur Radio Club will also be on the air from 0800 PST
on Monday, January 28, through 2000 PST on Sunday, February 3. A
commemorative Explorer 1 QSL card is available to those ham
operators who make contact with the station.
JPL’s Explorer 1 was the beginning of a half-century of
unprecedented exploration. JPL currently manages for NASA 19
spacecraft and six instruments. Four spacecraft are exploring Mars,
and that number will increase by one when the Phoenix lander
touches down near the Martian north pole on May 25. Other JPL
missions and instruments are studying Earth and our oceans; making
their way to a rendezvous with a comet; probing deep into the heart
of the asteroid belt; exploring Saturn, its moons and rings; and
peering into the distant universe to study stars, galaxies and
planets beyond our sun.
Caltech manages JPL for NASA.