Pioneer I on the Launch Pad
Thor-Able I with the Pioneer I spacecraft atop, prior to launch at Eastern Test Range at what is now Kennedy Space Center. Pioneer I launched on October 11, 1958, the first spacecraft launched by the 11 day old National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Although it failed to reach the Moon it did transmit 43 hours of data.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: 73-H-787
Date: October 11, 1958
Pioneer I on the Launch Pad
Thor-Able I with the Pioneer I spacecraft atop, prior to launch at Eastern Test Range at what is now Kennedy Space Center. Pioneer I launched on October 11, 1958, the first spacecraft launched by the 11 day old National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Although it failed to reach the Moon it did transmit 43 hours of data.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: 73-H-787
Date: October 11, 1958