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.

FMI: www.jpl.nasa.gov/explorer, http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/events/space20071009.html