The World's Oldest Scientific Satellite is Still in Orbit (bbc.com)

walterbyrd writes: Nearly 60 years ago, the US Navy launched Vanguard-1 as a response to the Soviet Sputnik. Six decades on, it's still circling our planet. Conceived by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in 1955, Vanguard was to be America's first satellite programme. The Vanguard system consisted of a three-stage rocket designed to launch a civilian scientific spacecraft. The rocket, satellite and an ambitious network of tracking stations would form part of the US contribution to the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year. This global collaboration of scientific research involved 67 nations, including both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Comments

Re:My Uncle worked on it

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

200 clocks? Ahh! I think I saw documentary about him.

Started with all 200 clocks setting alarms off, toast getting burnt, news cast about terrorists stealing plutonium from the powerplant.

Very cool documentary, remember every detail of it.