A video from JPL regarding Explorer 1. Video date- 26th Dec 07. Source- http://www-a.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
'JPL designed and built -- and, in cooperation with the Army, launched -- Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite and the first spacecraft ever to return scientific data from space.'
Von Braun and his team were ready to launch the world's first satellite a whole year ahead of the russians. But politics decided that the first US satellite would be a 100% american product, not a rocket built by a former german scientist. After the failure of Kaputnik-1 (the vanguard we see exploding in this video), this of course, changed.
xrd1Hal9000 11 months ago
When the Explorer 1 got into orbit, I remember everyone blew a sigh of relief!
TECHKLEC 4 years ago