Celebrating the launch of Explorer 1

After some spectacular failures, the United States successfully launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, into Earth's orbit on January 31, 1958. It was an important step for the United States in the Cold War and its first response in the space race after Russia had successfully launched two satellites. Sputnik 1 began orbiting Earth in October 1957 and Sputnik 2, which carried a dog, launched in November 1957.

In this photo taken at a press conference after the launch of Explorer 1, the three men given most credit for its success, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director William Pickering, scientist James Van Allen, and rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun (from left to right), hoist a scale model of the satellite.

Explorer 1 was 80 inches long with a diameter of 6.25 inches. Note the wires coming from the middle of the model. They represented the satellite's antenna.

January 30, 2008 9:41 AM PST

Photo by: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)