Explorer I Architects
The three men responsible for the success of Explorer 1, America's first Earth satellite which was launched January 31, 1958, celebrate their success early the next morning. At left is Dr. William H. Pickering, then director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which built and operated the satellite. Dr. James A. Van Allen, center, of the State University of Iowa, designed and built the instrument on Explorer that discovered the radiation belts which circle the Earth. At right is Dr. Wernher von Braun, leader of the Army's Redstone Arsenal team which built the first stage Redstone rocket that launched Explorer 1.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: P8485
Date: February 1, 1958
Explorer I Architects
The three men responsible for the success of Explorer 1, America's first Earth satellite which was launched January 31, 1958, celebrate their success early the next morning. At left is Dr. William H. Pickering, then director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which built and operated the satellite. Dr. James A. Van Allen, center, of the State University of Iowa, designed and built the instrument on Explorer that discovered the radiation belts which circle the Earth. At right is Dr. Wernher von Braun, leader of the Army's Redstone Arsenal team which built the first stage Redstone rocket that launched Explorer 1.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: P8485
Date: February 1, 1958