Sixty years ago today; 1/31/58

SkyMan

Sixty years ago today, 1/31/58, the first US spacecraft to orbit the Earth was launched. It was called Explorer 1.

The US had to watch in stunned disbelief as the USSR kicked it's ass in space in 1957. The first spacecraft launched, Sputnik 1, launched on October 4, 1957. With a mass of 184 pounds, it was SIGNIFICANTLY larger than the size of the first spacecraft the US was planning to put into orbit. The first attempted US satellite was Vanguard 1 which weighed 3.2 pounds. For all that, unbeknownst to the US, Sputnik 1 was a crude satellite containing only a radio transmitter.

The USSR continued to run roughshod over the US in space with the launch of Sputnik 2 on 11/3/57, technically a much more advanced satellite than Sputnik 1. Sputnik 2 weighed about 1,100 pounds. Sputnik 2 contained the first living organism to fly into orbit, the dog Laika. There were no plans to land her. Laika died of heatstroke after 24 - 48 hours in orbit.

To further twist the knife in the wound, vis-a-vis pathetic rockets, the US attempted to launch it's first satellite, Vanguard 1, on 12/6/57. The Vanguard rocket rose 4 feet and fell back to Earth where it exploded. US newspapers named it all sorts of things including Flopnik.

Given the green light, the US Army Redstone rocket team under Werner von Braun, used a modified Redstone rocket called Juno, to launch Explorer 1 into orbit on 1/31/58. The relief in the US of finally being able to launch a satellite into orbit was immense. Even though Explorer 1 was small, roughly 31 pounds, it was designed with science in mind, and went on to discover the Van Allen radiation belts.

Here is a period newsreel clip of the launch of Explorer 1. It is just over 3 minutes long.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=iW_3uXXoWIk

Post a coin from 1958 or a space based coin/medallion in honor of Explorer 1.

carabonnair

Does anyone have this Coin of the Month Club release?

http://www.spacecollection.info/us_unmanned/us_unmanned_medals.html

golden

Nice post. Very nice Half Dollar!

BillJones

Thanks for this interesting post. I just finished reading a book about the political relationship between Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. The author speak a fair amount time with the launching of Sputnik and the embarrassment it caused. I remember a book I read circa 1960 that had the following selling printed on the cover.

"The average Russian school boy can understand this book. Can you?"

Such were the attitudes toward the state of U.S. science education in the late 1950s.

The only pieces I have are a 1958 half dollar that I won in club raffle 40 years ago and a 1958 Proof set, which is not that interesting.

CommemDude

Sputnik was visible as a point of light moving across the sky in 1957 in my hometown of Jamestown, NY.

My neighbor, Mrs. Clarke, told us kids about it and showed us how to spot it in the sky. This infuriated my parents because there was an aura of fear associated with the Soviet satellite which was thought to be possibly spying on the USA.

Hazel Clarke was the widow of T James Clarke, a past president of the ANA and famous collector of rare coins.

AuroraBorealis

Thanks for the history info Skyman and a great looking Frankie! AB

BuffaloIronTail

"To further twist the knife in the wound, vis-a-vis pathetic rockets, the US attempted to launch it's first satellite, Vanguard 1, on 12/6/57. The Vanguard rocket rose 4 feet and fell back to Earth where it exploded. US newspapers named it all sorts of things including Flopnik".

If I remember correctly, the three I recall were "Flopnik", "Puffnik", and "Kaputnik".

I was fascinated by all this space stuff as a child. I remember watching John Glenn go up and when he would talk, the network would flash in bold letters: GLENNS VOICE

Those were the days...................

Pete

skier07

Wernher Von Braun was the leader of the team that developed the V-2 missile for the Germans during WW2.

https://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/bio.html

291fifth

All space related news was very big news until the early 1970s. I remember seeing a photo of the failed launch of the Vanguard on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.

BLUEJAYWAY

Thanks for the link.

Coinstartled

@291fifth said:
All space related news was very big news until the early 1970s. I remember seeing a photo of the failed launch of the Vanguard on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.

Very true. Men walking on the Moon became nearly routine. What a great adventure for those of us that were around then.

Damn...I sound like my grandfather.

rainbowlover1

Fantastic Franky

BG

Nice info.

FranklinHalfAddict

1630Boston

Great space info, thanks

78saen

ricko

The years of space exploration - satellites, rockets, manned lunar missions - were golden years of science for the United States.....Sadly, we seem to have lost that focus. The spin off benefits of major science endeavors benefit all of us... and I believe we should continue our move into the solar system. Yes, there are seemingly insurmountable hurdles ahead.... but so was putting men on the moon at one time. Cheers, RickO

SaorAlba

This subject jarred a memory of my finding something on a seat on a city bus in the USSR that was a really neat find from early USSR space history:

Luna 2 was the first man made object to strike the moon on 14 Sept 1959 and this znaki or pin was created shortly afterwards. It was not unusual to find znaki that had fallen off clothing etc - it was usually modern aluminium junk, but this one was one I found in the wild and kept.

keyman64

JJSingleton

More importantly 1/31/58 was the day I was born

Thanks for the history lesson.

lcoopie

Nice Sy