Explorer 1: Celebrating 60 Years of America in Space
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- Produced by:
- LK Ward
- View full credits
Less than a lifetime ago, humankind just barely left the limits of Earth’s atmosphere. Who could have imagined that only 60 years later we would be touching the surface of the Sun, arriving at the most distant object humans have ever explored, and soon to be launching the world’s most powerful telescope to get a glimpse of the first galaxies born after the Big Bang? As NASA celebrates the 60th Anniversary of Explorer 1, the satellite that blazed the way for hundreds of missions to follow, some of the most ambitions explorations are yet to come.
Music: Look Forward by Laurent Dury, The Space Between by Max Concors, Picking Locks by James Alexander Dorman and Foraging At Dusk by Benjamin James Parsons
Complete transcript available.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Interviewees
- Bill Barry (NASA)
- Thomas H. Zurbuchen (NASA/HQ)
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Producer
- LK Ward (KBRwyle) [Lead]
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Project support
- Debra Hernandez (NASA)
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Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related pages
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ID: 4600 Visualization
Sixty Years of Earth Observations: from Explorer-1 (1958) to CYGNSS (2017)
Read moreEarth observing spacecraft from Explorer-1 to CYGNSSThis video is also available on our YouTube channel. || January 31 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Explorer-1 spacecraft and 60 years of Earth observations from space. This visualization shows the orbits of NASA-related near-Earth science missions from the launch of Explorer-1 in 1958 through 2017. These missions include both NASA-run missions as well as missions run by organizations that NASA has partnered with. Twenty-four of these missions are called out as "firsts" in various ways. Here's a link to a version on youtubeThe following missions are highlighted in green as "firsts":Explorer-1 first satellite launched by USVanguard-1 first solar-powered satelliteTiros-1 first weather satelliteNimbus-1 first in series that provided 30 years of Earth observationsATS-1: Applications Technology Satellite first full-disk Earth images from geosynchronous orbitApollo-8 first humans to orbit Moon; Earthrise photoLandsat-1 first in a series providing continuous coverage of Earth's landSkylab first combined active/passive microwave sensor (RADSCAT)Seasat-1 first oceanographic satelliteERBS: Earth Radiation Budget Satellite ozone data was key in Montreal Protocol AgreementTOPEX/Poseidon: Ocean Topography Experiment first in a series providing continuous record of global sea levelsSeaWiFS: Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor first to measure global biosphereTRMM: Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission first 3-d views of storms from spaceTerra first spacecraft of Earth Observing System (EOS)SRTM: Shuttle Radar Topography Mission first near-global data set of land elevationsGRACE: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment first mission to map Earth's gravity field over timeAqua first spacecraft in Afternoon train (A-train)ICESat: Ice, Cloud,and land Elevation Satellite first continuous laser-altimetry of Antarctic/Greenland ice sheetsCALIPSO: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation first global survey of cloud and aerosol profiles from 2 spacecraftCloudsat synergistic cloud observations from 2 spacecraftAquarius first dedicated sea surface salinity measurementsGPM: Global Precipitation Measurement first near-global precipitation observationsOCO-2: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 first high-precision global measurements of CO2SMAP: Soil Moisture Passive Active first NASA soil moisture satelliteDSCOVR: Deep Space Climate Observatory first continuous daytime observations from L1Other missions that are not highlighted:CYGNSS-1-8: Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System 1AuraGOES 1 - 16: Geostationary Operational Environmental SatellitesISS: International Space StationJason 2Jason 3LAGEOSLaser Geodynamic SatelliteLandsat 7Landsat 8QuikSCATQuick ScatterometerSORCE: Solar Radiation and Climate ExperimentSuomi NPP: Suomi National Polar-orbiting PartnershipExplorer-3Explorer-4Explorer-6Explorer-7Explorer-8Explorer-9Explorer-12Nimbus-2Nimbus-3Nimbus-4Nimbus-5Nimbus-6Nimbus-7CINDI>: Coupled Ion-Neutral Dynamics InvestigationVanguard-2Vanguard-3SMS-1: Synchronous Meteorological Satellite-1SMS-2: Synchronous Meteorological Satellite-2EO-1: Earth Observing mission 1)EUVE: Extreme-Ultraviolet ExplorerJason-1Landsat-2Landsat-3Landsat-4Landsat-5UARS: Upper Atmosphere Research SatelliteEP-TOMS: Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping SpectrometerTIROS-2: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-2TIROS-3: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-3TIROS-4: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-4TIROS-5: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-5TIROS-6: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-6TIROS-7: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-7TIROS-8: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-8TIROS-9: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-9TIROS-10: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-10TIROS-M: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-NTIROS-N: Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite-MATS-2: Applications Technology Satellite-2ATS-3: Applications Technology Satellite-3ATS-4: Applications Technology Satellite-4ATS-6: Applications Technology Satellite-6DE-1: Dynamics Explorer-1DE-2: Dynamics Explorer-2STS-2: Space Shuttle Office of Space and Terrestrial ApplicationSAGE: Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas ExperimentAlso included:StarsMoonSunEarthL1: Sun-Earth Lagrange Point-1NOTES: The clouds used in this version are from a high resolution GEOS model run at 10 minute time steps interpolated down to the per-frame level.There are 3 clocks (date/time) driving different aspects of this visualization:the progession of the orbits as they move around the Earththe timeline at the top which also drives the exposure of orbitsApollo-8 and the moon ||
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ID: 12943 Produced Video
Explorer 1
Read more60 years ago we launched humanity’s first science satellite, Explorer 1. || Explorer 1 marked the United States’ first step into the dawn of the Space Age. Just three months prior in November, 1957, the Soviet Union had launched humanity’s second satellite into orbit. By this point, the United States was under immense pressures to compete with the Soviet achievement, which only mounted when the U.S. Navy's Vanguard rocket exploded on the launch pad with the United States' first attempt to launch a satellite. Explorer 1 had been in the works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and was quickly readied for launch. On January 31, 1958 it made orbit and became not only the first U.S. satellite, but also the first science satellite. Its first discovery was of the Van Allen radiation belts, a collection of charged particles trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field. Trapped there, the charged particles don't harm Earth or life on it, but they can pose a threat to orbiting satellites and astronauts. Understanding the dynamics of this region is essential for protecting technological assets and planning crewed space missions. This discovery opened the doors of space exploration, the first of many in the last 60 years about our planet, our solar system and the cosmos. Watch the video to learn more. ||
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