On this date: U.S. successfully launches its first satellite, Explorer 1
Explorer 1 became the first successfully launched satellite by the United States when it was sent to space on 31 January 1958. A quick response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1, Explorer 1's success marked the beginning of the US Space Age.
The satellite, which was designed, built, and operated by JPL, carried a cosmic ray detector (the satellite's primary science instrument), which directly led to Principal Investigator Dr. James Van Allen's discovery of radiation belts around Earth held in place by the planet's magnetic field.
This story was created by multimedia editor Rob Landers, rlanders@floridatoday.com, with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of information gathering, review, editing and publishing.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: On this date: U.S. launches its first satellite, Explorer 1
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