What was explorer 1

Data from this and two subsequent Explorer satellites led to the discovery by James Van Allen of a belt of intense radiation surrounding the earth. On January 31, , Explorer 1 was successfully launched into orbit and became the first U. Explorer became the U. Skip to main content. You are here Home nasm A Previous Next.

Inventory Number A Country of Origin United States of America. Materials Steel, copper alloy, aluminum, rubber, paint, electrical wires Dimensions Other: Thank you. You have successfully signed up for our newsletter. Error message Sorry, there was a problem. The experiment discovered evidence of radiation belts around Earth, now called Van Allen Belts , that marked the first scientific discovery in space.

They serve as a buffer, preventing cosmic rays from bombarding Earth, and may have played a role in making Earth habitable for life, NASA has said. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Originally founded in , Space. On that count, NASA succeeded. Explorer 1 sent data back to Earth for four months, ceasing communications on May 23, The satellite remained aloft for more than a decade before re-entering Earth's atmosphere on March 31, Explorer 1 spawned a series of other satellites.

While Explorers 2 and 5 failed due to rocket stage problems, Explorers 3 and 4 both launched successfully in and transmitted science from orbit. Even though the satellites are no longer working, their legacy remains.

They launched the United States into space and showed that it was possible to do science from orbit. Explorer 1 discovered the Van Allen belts , and subsequent missions in the Explorer series uncovered more details about their nature. Today, the belts are being probed in more detail by the Van Allen probes, which launched in This is the first time that two spacecraft simultaneously studied the belts. It is not typical for a mission to start science observations right away as the instruments are still being configured.

A fortuitously timed solar storm led to an immediate finding: the Van Allen probes uncovered evidence of a third belt affected by the storm, as well as the two belts that were already known. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Elizabeth Howell is a contributing writer for Space. She is the author or co-author of several books on space exploration. Elizabeth holds a Ph.

She also holds a bachelor of journalism degree from Carleton University in Canada, where she began her space-writing career in Besides writing, Elizabeth teaches communications at the university and community college level, and for government training schools. To see her latest projects, follow Elizabeth on Twitter at howellspace.

Elizabeth Howell.