Vanguard Rocket

Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (260x800, 57 KB) Launch of the Vanguard with satellite Vanguard 1. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (260x800, 57 KB) Launch of the Vanguard with satellite Vanguard 1. ... -1... For other uses, please see Satellite (disambiguation) A satellite is an object that orbits another object (known as its primary). ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... The Vanguard rocket is the first space launch vehicle of the United States. ... A Saturn V launch vehicle sends Apollo 15 on its way to the moon. ...

In response to the surprise launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the U.S. restarted the Explorer program, which had been proposed earlier by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA). Together with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), ABMA built Explorer 1 in 84 days and launched it on January 31, 1958. Before work was completed, however, the Soviet Union launched a second satellite, Sputnik 2, on November 3, 1957. Meanwhile the spectacular televised failure of Vanguard TV3 on December 6, 1957 deepened American dismay over the country's position in the Space Race. Sputnik 1 The Sputnik crisis was a turn point of the Cold War that began on October 4, 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 satellite. ... Sputnik 1 (Russian: , Satellite-1, or literally Co-traveler-1 byname ПС-1 (PS-1, i. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... The Explorer program was the United Statess first successful attempt to launch an artificial satellite . ... Hermann Oberth (front) with officials of the ABMA in 1956. ... For the singer/songwriter, see Jon Peter Lewis. ... Explorer-I, officially known as Satellite 1958 Alpha, was the first United States Earth satellite and was sent aloft as part of the United States program for the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Sputnik 2 (Russian: , Satellite 2) was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on November 3, 1957, and the first to carry a living animal - a dog named Laika. ... is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Vanguard TV3 was the first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... For a list of key events, see Timeline of space exploration. ...

On March 17, 1958, Vanguard 1 became the second artificial satellite successfully placed in Earth orbit by the United States. It was the first solar-powered satellite. Just 152 mm (6 in) in diameter and weighing just 1.4 kg (3 lb), Vanguard I was described by then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev as, "The grapefruit satellite."^[1] is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Vanguard 1 was the fourth artificial satellite launched, and is the oldest still orbiting Earth, though there is no longer any communication with it. ... Solar power describes a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the sun. ... Premier of the Soviet Union is the commonly used English term for the offices of Chairman of the Council of Peoples Commissars of the USSR (Председатель Совета Народных Комиссаров СССР) (1923-1946) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (Председатель Совета Министров СССР) (1946-1991), who... Khrushchev redirects here. ...

Vanguard 1 is the oldest artificial satellite still in space. Vanguard's predecessors, Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2 and Explorer 1 have fallen out of orbit. Sputnik 1 (Russian: , Satellite-1, or literally Co-traveler-1 byname ПС-1 (PS-1, i. ... Sputnik 2 (Russian: , Satellite 2) was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on November 3, 1957, and the first to carry a living animal - a dog named Laika. ...

Project history

As part of planning for the International Geophysical Year (1957–1958), the U.S. publicly undertook to place an artificial satellite with a scientific experiment into orbit around the Earth. The International Geophysical Year or IGY was an international scientific effort that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. ...

The three services' proposals

Proposals to do this were presented by the United States Air Force, the United States Army, and the United States Navy. The Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) under Dr. Wernher von Braun had suggested using a modified Redstone rocket (see: Juno I) while the Air Force had proposed using the Atlas rocket, which did not yet exist. The Navy proposed designing a rocket system based on the Viking and Aerobee rocket systems, for the purposes of launching the first US satellite. USAF redirects here. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... USN redirects here. ... Hermann Oberth (front) with officials of the ABMA in 1956. ... For other uses of von Braun, see von Braun (disambiguation). ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... The Jupiter-C Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) was designed by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) The vehicle consists of a modified Redstone ballistic missile with three solid-propellant upper stages. ... Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and capsule on pad The Atlas is a venerable line of space launch vehicles built by Lockheed Martin. ... This article is about vehicles powered by rocket engines. ... Based on its experiments with captured German V-2 rockets after WWII, the United states decided to develop its own liquid fueld rocket. ... The Aerobee rocket was a small (8 m) unguided suborbital sounding rocket used for high atmospheric and cosmic radiation research in the United States in the 1950s. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article is about artificial satellites. ...

The Air Force proposal was not seriously considered, as Atlas development was years behind the other vehicles. Among other limitations, the Army submission focused on the vehicle, while a payload was assumed to become available from JPL, and the network of ground tracking stations was assumed to be a Navy project. Meanwhile, the NRL proposal detailed all three aspects of the mission. For the singer/songwriter, see Jon Peter Lewis. ...

In August 1955, the DOD Committee on Special Capabilities chose the Navy's proposal as it appeared most likely, by spring 1958, to fulfill the following: The United States Department of Defense (DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. ...

• 1) place a satellite in orbit during the IGY
• 2) accomplish a scientific experiment in orbit
• 3) track the satellite and ensure its attainment of orbit

Another consideration was that the Navy proposal used civilian sounding rockets rather than military missiles, which were considered inappropriate for peaceful scientific exploration. What went unstated at the time was that the US already had a covert satellite program underway, WS-117, which was developing the ability to launch spy satellites using USAF Thor IRBMs. The US government was concerned that the Soviets would object to military satellites overflying the Soviet Union as they had to many aircraft incursions and the balloons of the Genetrix project. The idea was that if a clearly "civilian" and 'scientific' satellite went up first, the Soviets might not object, and thus the precedent would be established that 'space' was above national boundaries. Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... The International Geophysical Year or IGY was an international scientific effort that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... In the scientific method, an experiment (Latin: ex- periri, of (or from) trying) is a set of observations performed in the context of solving a particular problem or question, to retain or falsify a hypothesis or research concerning phenomena. ... A sounding rocket, sometimes called an elevator research rocket, is an instrument-carrying suborbital rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its flight. ... Air rights are a type of development right in real estate. ...

Designated Project Vanguard, the program was placed under Navy management and DoD monitorship. The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington was given overall responsibility, while initial funding came from the National Science Foundation. The director was John P. Hagen (1908–1990), an astronomer who in 1958 would become the assistant director of space flight development with the formation of NASA[1]. The initial 1.4 kg spherical Vanguard satellites (designated "Test Vehicles" prior to launch) were built at the NRL, and contained as their payload seven mercury cell batteries in a hermetically sealed container, two tracking radio transmitters, a temperature sensitive crystal, and six clusters of solar cells on the surface of the sphere.-1... The logo of the National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. ... This article is about the element. ... For other uses, see Battery. ... The term hermetically sealed is used to describe something that has an airtight seal. ... A solar cell, made from a monocrystalline silicon wafer A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts light energy into electrical energy. ...

NRL was also responsible for developing the launch vehicles, developing and installing the satellite tracking system, and designing, constructing, and testing the satellites. The tracking system was called Minitrack. The Minitrack stations, designed by NRL but subcontracted to the Army Corps of Engineers, were along a North-South line running along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America. Minitrack was the forerunner of another NRL-developed system called NAVSPASUR, which remains operational today under the control of the Air Force and is a major producer of spacecraft tracking data. United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 military men and women. ... The Air Force Space Surveillance System is a multistatic radar system that detects orbital objects passing over America. ...

Sputnik and Explorer 1

TV-3 on display at NASM

On October 4, 1957, the Vanguard team learned of the launch of Sputnik 1 by the USSR while still working on a test vehicle (TV-2) designed to test the first stage of their launcher rocket. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, on November 3, 1957, then Secretary of Defense Neil H. McElroy directed the Army to use the Juno I and launch a satellite. At 11:45 AM on December 6, an attempt was made to launch TV-3. The rocket rose about four feet (1.2 m) into the air when the engine injectors failed. Deprived of its thrust the rocket immediately sank back down to the launch pad and exploded. The payload nosecone detached in the process and landed free of the exploding rocket. The satellite was too damaged for further use; it now resides in the National Air and Space Museum. On February 1, 1958, the ABMA managed to launch the Explorer 1 satellite. Download high resolution version (1228x1118, 93 KB)Vanguard program TV3 satellite on display at NASM I took this picture at the NASM on 2004:01:08 08:51:06. ... Download high resolution version (1228x1118, 93 KB)Vanguard program TV3 satellite on display at NASM I took this picture at the NASM on 2004:01:08 08:51:06. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sputnik 1 (Russian: , Satellite-1, or literally Co-traveler-1 byname ПС-1 (PS-1, i. ... Sputnik 2 (Russian: , Satellite 2) was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on November 3, 1957, and the first to carry a living animal - a dog named Laika. ... The United States Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and military matters. ... Neil Hosler McElroy (30 October 1904 - 30 November 1972) was United States Secretary of Defense from 1957 to 1959 under President Eisenhower. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... The Jupiter-C Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) was designed by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) The vehicle consists of a modified Redstone ballistic missile with three solid-propellant upper stages. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... National Air and Space Museum exterior The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., United States, and is the most popular of the Smithsonian museums. ... Explorer-I, officially known as Satellite 1958 Alpha, was the first United States Earth satellite and was sent aloft as part of the United States program for the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958. ...

On March 17, 1958, the program successfully launched the Vanguard satellite TV-4. TV-4 achieved a stable orbit with an apogee of 3,969 kilometers (2466 mi) and a perigee of 650 kilometers (404 mi); it was estimated that it would remain in orbit for 240 years, and Vanguard 1 remains the oldest human-made satellite still in orbit at this time. The radio continued to transmit until 1964, and tracking data obtained with this satellite revealed that Earth is not quite round - it is elevated at the North Pole and flattened at the South Pole. The Vanguard program was transferred to NASA when that agency was created in mid-1958. The program ended with the launch of Vanguard 3 in 1959. is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Two bodies with a slight difference in mass orbiting around a common barycenter. ... This article is about several astronomical terms (apogee & perigee, aphelion & perihelion, generic equivalents based on apsis, and related but rarer terms. ... Perigee is the point at which an object in orbit around the Earth makes its closest approach to the Earth. ... For other uses, see North Pole (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see South Pole (disambiguation). ...

In late 1958, with responsibility for Project Vanguard having been transferred to NASA, the nucleus of the Goddard Space Flight Center was formed. After the transfer, NRL rebuilt their spacecraft technology capability and have developed some 87 satellites over the past 40 years for the Navy, DoD and NASA. For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Aerial view of Goddard Space Flight Center. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ...

Accomplishments

Vanguard met 100 percent of its scientific objectives, providing a wealth of information on the size and shape of the Earth, air density, temperature ranges, and micrometeorite impact. It demonstrated that the Earth is slightly pear-shaped, not perfectly round; corrected ideas about the atmosphere's density at high altitudes and improved the accuracy of world maps. A Micrometeoroid (also micrometeorite, micrometeor) is a tiny meteoroid; a small particle of rock from space, usually weighing less than a gram, that poses a threat to space exploration. ...

NRL space scientists say that the Vanguard 1 program introduced much of the technology that has since been applied in later U.S. satellite programs, from rocket launching to satellite tracking. For example, it validated in flight that solar cells could be used for several years to power radio transmitters. Vanguard's solar cells operated for about seven years, while conventional batteries used to power another on-board transmitter lasted only 20 days. Vanguard 1 was the fourth artificial satellite launched, and is the oldest still orbiting Earth, though there is no longer any communication with it. ... A solar cell, made from a monocrystalline silicon wafer A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts light energy into electrical energy. ...

Although Vanguard's solar-powered "voice" became silent in 1964, it continues to serve the scientific community. Ground-based optical tracking of the now-inert Vanguards continues to provide information about the effects of the Sun, Moon and atmosphere on satellite orbits. Vanguard I marked its 49th year in space on March 17, 2007. In the years following its launch, the small satellite has made more than 178,061 revolutions of the Earth and traveled over 9.4 billion kilometers (5.1 billion nautical miles).

The Vanguard Satellite Launch Vehicle (the term was invented for the operation SLV models, as opposed to the Test Vehicle TV versions) of the first generation. It was a much smaller and lighter launcher than the Jupiter-C (Redstone) which launched the Explorer satellites, or the immense R-7 that the Soviets used to launch the early Sputniks. The Jupiter-C Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) was designed by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) The vehicle consists of a modified Redstone ballistic missile with three solid-propellant upper stages. ... R-7 with Sputnik 2 The R-7 Semyorka was the worlds first intercontinental ballistic missile and was deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War from 1959 to 1968. ...

Launch history

Vanguard rocket explodes seconds after launch at Cape Canaveral (December 6, 1957).

Test vehicle launches

The first Vanguard flight, a successful suborbital test of the TV-0 single-stage vehicle, was launched on December 8 1956. On May 1, 1957, the two-stage test vehicle TV-1 was successfully launched. Vanguard TV-2, another suborbital test, was launched October 23, 1957. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2400x3000, 1151 KB) Original image caption: Test of Vanguard launch vehicle for U.S. International Geophysical Year (IGY) program to place satellite in Earth orbit to determine atmospheric density and conduct geodetic measurements. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2400x3000, 1151 KB) Original image caption: Test of Vanguard launch vehicle for U.S. International Geophysical Year (IGY) program to place satellite in Earth orbit to determine atmospheric density and conduct geodetic measurements. ... A sub-orbital spaceflight (or sub-orbital flight) is a spaceflight that does not involve putting a vehicle into orbit. ...

The Vanguard rocket launched three satellites out of eleven launch attempts: The Vanguard rocket is the first space launch vehicle of the United States. ...

1. Vanguard TV3 - December 6, 1957 - Failed to orbit 1.36 kg (3 lb) satellite
2. Vanguard TV3 Backup - February 5, 1958 - Failed to orbit 1.36 kg (3 lb) satellite
3. Vanguard 1 - March 17, 1958 - Orbited 1.47 kg (3.25 lb) satellite
4. Vanguard TV5 - April 28, 1958 - Failed to orbit 9.98 kg (22 lb) satellite
5. Vanguard SLV 1 - May 27, 1958 - Failed to orbit 9.98 kg (22 lb) satellite
6. Vanguard SLV 2 - June 26, 1958 - Failed to orbit 9.98 kg (22 lb) satellite
7. Vanguard SLV 3 - September 26, 1958 - Failed to orbit 9.98 kg (22 lb) satellite
8. Vanguard 2 - February 17, 1959 - Orbited 10.8 kg (23.7 lb) satellite
9. Vanguard SLV 5 - April 13, 1959 - Failed to orbit 10.3 kg (22 lb 11 oz) satellite
10. Vanguard SLV 6 - June 22, 1959 - Failed to orbit 10.3 kg (22 lb 11 oz) satellite
11. Vanguard 3 - September 18, 1959 - Orbited 22.7 kg (50 lb) satellite

Vanguard TV3 was the first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up pound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Vanguard 1 was the fourth artificial satellite launched, and is the oldest still orbiting Earth, though there is no longer any communication with it. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... // Vanguard 2 or Vanguard II was an earth-orbiting satellite designed to measure cloud-cover distribution over the daylight portion of its orbit. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about Ounce (unit of mass). ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mission Objectives Vanguard 3 was launched by a Vanguard rocket from the Eastern Test Range into a geocentric orbit. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Vanguard rocket
• Vanguard 1 Satellite
• Vanguard 2 Satellite
• Vanguard 3 Satellite
• Explorer program
• Sputnik program
• Sputnik crisis

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An artist’s impression showing one of the Block 5D-2 spacecraft in orbit. ... The Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) consists of five remote-sensing satellites constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and operated for the Algerian, Nigerian, Turkish, British and Chinese governments by DMC International Imaging. ... Model of Envisat The Envisat (Environmental Satellite) satellite is an Earth-observing satellite built by the European Space Agency. ... EROS satellites are high performance, low cost, light, highly maneuverable high-resolution observation satellites. ... European Remote-Sensing satellite (ERS) was the European Space Agencys first Earth-observing satellite. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program is a key element in United States National Weather Service (NWS) operations. ... 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The TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimeter is a science project to measure the ocean surface topography. ... The Vanguard rocket is the first space launch vehicle of the United States. ... Vanguard 1 was the fourth artificial satellite launched, and is the oldest still orbiting Earth, though there is no longer any communication with it. ... // Vanguard 2 or Vanguard II was an earth-orbiting satellite designed to measure cloud-cover distribution over the daylight portion of its orbit. ... Mission Objectives Vanguard 3 was launched by a Vanguard rocket from the Eastern Test Range into a geocentric orbit. ... The Explorer program was the United Statess first successful attempt to launch an artificial satellite . ... Sputnik redirects here. ... Sputnik 1 The Sputnik crisis was a turn point of the Cold War that began on October 4, 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 satellite. ...

References

1. ^ Vanguard I - the World's Oldest Satellite Still in Orbit. Spacecraft Engineering Department, U.S. Navy.

• Vanguard a History, Constance Green and Milton Lomask, NASA SP-4202, Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., 1970
• Project Vanguard, Kurt Stehling, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY, 1961

External links

• Project Vanguard
• Vanguard - A History (NASA SP-4202, 1970) online book
• NASA History Series Publications (many of which are on-line)