Explorer 1 Essay

Register to read the introduction… Its purpose was to detect cosmic rays while in orbit; unfortunately the satellite failed to ignite on its fourth stage in its launch process and never made it to orbit. During the time of Explorer 2, the Soviets were also at work with Luna 2, this probe became the first to hit the moon but after 33.5 hours into flight the signals were dead. The US then created another satellite, the fourth satellite by America, and the first satellite to be solar-powered. They created the Vanguard 1, the first part of the Vanguard Project. Although communication with the satellite was lost in 1964, it remains the oldest artificial satellite still orbiting the Earth and the oldest piece of debris orbiting Earth. It was designed to test the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. After Vanguard 1 turned out to succeed they created the Explorer 3, the third satellite in the Explorer Program. It was the second satellite of that program to make it successfully to space. It brought a cosmic ray detector and a tape recorder into orbit with it, and unlike Explorer 2, this satellite was able to get results. Explorer 3 deceased after 93 days in orbit. Next up in the Explorer Program was Explorer 4, it was created to study the Van Allen radiation belts and the effects of nuclear detonations on it. It became the first satellite to evaluate electric particles in the radiation belt. This was the last Explorer satellite (in the series) to make it into orbit. The last satellite in the Explorer Program (in the first series), was Explorer 5, it failed to make it into orbit due to the thrusters bumping on its way up, knocking it off course. This failure began a small series of failures for US, as they attempt to put more satellites in to space. Trying to come out of the last failure with Explorer 5, the US made the Beacon 1. However, it too burned up on its way to orbit, due to some …show more content…
The Soviets swiftly launched a supposedly joint mission with Vostok 5 and Vostok 6. In Vostok 5, piloted by Valeri Fyodorovich Bykovsky, launched at 3 AM. Another impressive move by the Soviets occurred on June 16, 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova, was launched into space for 3 days. Tereshkova became the first woman in history to enter space and not only did she accomplish that but she stayed in space longer than all the American voyages (at that time) put together. The Soviets launched the world's first multi-manned spacecraft, Voskhod I, the first voyage to carry a scientist and a physician into space. The launch was on October 13, 1964. The spacecraft carried Col. Vladimir Komarov, Konstantin Feoktistov, and Boris Yegorov. They soon landed after 16 orbits of the earth, 24 hours and 17 min after they had left, due to Khrushchev being removed from power. America had to catch up to the Soviets now, they were getting to far ahead and beating them to many achievements. NASA then launched Apollo 8 on December 21, 1968. Apollo 8 was the first human spaceflight mission to leave Earth's orbit, the first to be captured by and escape from the gravity field of something other than Earth, and the first crewed voyage to return to Earth from the Moon. The crew of Apollo 8 consisted of Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders. They became the first humans to personally see the far side of the Moon as well as the first humans to see Earth from a higher orbit. Since the Apollo 8 was successful, NASA felt confident enough to send 3 men to the moon on the multi-manned spacecraft, Apollo