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American Space Age Reaches Fifty Years

Posted by Soulskill on from the fly-me-to-the-moon dept.

Bryansix brings us a story about the 50th anniversary of the United States' entry into the Space Age. On January 31st, 1958, Explorer 1 became the first U.S. satellite to reach orbit. The New York Times is running a similar feature. "Explorer 1 gave America a chance to recover some of its confidence and prestige after the Sputnik shock, but there was a scientific payoff as well: The data returned by the satellite showed that Earth was not surrounded by a swarm of killer pebbles, as some scientists had feared. However, the cosmic-ray readings hinted at the existence of bands of radiation surrounding the planet - an unexpected result that led to the discovery of the Van Allen Belts."

2 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. In other news.... by Damocles+the+Elder · · Score: 2, Funny

    The Bronze Age turns 4000. People care equally about both milestones. GIFs at 11.

  2. Russian space age reaches 51! by martin-boundary · · Score: 2, Funny

    Drat, foiled again! Savour your victory while you can, because next year will be different!