Earth's oldest satellite in space travel

Nearly 60 years ago, Vanguard 1 satellite still perseveres in making a long journey in space.

Vanguard 1, or 1958-002B, is the fourth artificial satellite and has the longest time on Earth orbit, according to the BBC. This satellite was launched into space in March 1958 with orbits 650 - 3,800km from Earth. Although no longer sending signals since 1964, the Vanguard 1 continues its long journey through space for nearly 60 years.

Vanguard 1 satellite was launched into space in 1958. (Video: YouTube).

This satellite is very small, weighs only 1.46kg and has a diameter of 16.5cm."Previous satellites, like Sputnik, all fell back into the atmosphere. But I estimate Vanguard 1 will still orbit in the hundreds or even a thousand years," Tim Flohrer, a space waste specialist at European Space Exploitation Center commented.

Vanguard has been conceptualized by the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) since 1955, which is planned to be the first US satellite program. The Vanguard system consists of a three-story rocket designed to launch conventional scientific spacecraft.

The missile, along with satellites and tracking stations, is one of the US contributions to the International Year of Geophysics 1957 - 58, an international scientific project with the participation of 67 countries, in there is the Soviet Union.

Sputnik satellite was launched into space in 1957. (Photo: SFGate).

The fact that the Soviet Union launched a Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957 caused a great shock."The US satellite project team was disappointed in Sputnik because the international project partners did not say anything about their upcoming launch of the satellite, " explained Angelina Callahan, a historian at NRL.

"Sputnik caused great fear. It made military leaders realize that the Soviet Union could launch missiles to the United States," said Tom Lassman, the Cold War missile curator at the National Air and Space Museum. American family, said. In the weeks that followed, the NRL project team under increasing pressure from the White House had to launch the satellite as soon as possible.

On December 6, 1957, the Vanguard Test Vehicle 3 (TV3) event received great attention. Politicians, military leaders and world media gathered at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA to monitor the event.

At 11:44 local time, the Vanguard rocket starts to leave the launch pad. But only a few seconds later, when it was more than a meter from the ground, it fell and caught fire. The missile was destroyed and the launcher was seriously damaged. Vanguard satellite flew away, the light still flashed. However, it is also badly damaged and cannot be used anymore.

Vanguard missile launches test and fails.(Photo: US Navy).

Newspapers repeatedly reported on the explosion. Former US President Lyndon Johnson, then a senator, called this defeat "shame". It was unfair for the satellite project team, Callahan commented. "There are a lot of failures behind a successful study. In the process of these failures, they developed a very good system , " she said.

Wernher von Braun, a German scientist who switched to work for the United States, took the opportunity to join the launch of the first US satellite into space. With support from the US military, he developed the Jupiter missile, the advanced version of the V2 rocket."The first priority is to launch something into the universe as quickly as possible," Lassman said.

On January 31, 1958, Explorer 1 satellites were built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory within three months of being launched into space using the Jupiter C. missile equipped with cosmic ray detectors for research. outer radiation environment. The detector, built by James Van Allen, a scientist at Iowa University, then discovered a belt of charged particles held by the Earth's magnetic field, named Van Allen Belt.

On March 17, 1958, the Vanguard rocket finally brought Vanguard 1 into space. Not long after, this tiny satellite transmits the first radio signals. Since it was the first satellite to operate with solar power, it was still continuously transmitting data until 1964, while Explorer 1 only worked for a few months.

Although not the first satellite, Vanguard 1 is still a remarkable achievement for mankind. In addition to bringing new technology to the satellite launch system, underground control station networks and solar panels, the satellite also sends extremely valuable scientific information.

The Vanguard 1 has remained in space for nearly 60 years.(Photo: Proyecto FSE).

With the device for measuring atmospheric density, Vanguard 1 provides the first data on the non-diluted atmosphere and the estimated number of meteorites around the Earth. Those are essential information for later spacecraft. As a military-funded project, Vanguard 1 also helps calculate the accuracy of the routes of transcontinental missiles.

The Vanguard rocket system lays the foundation for the Delta launcher device, one of the world's most successful launchers. Long-term monitoring of Vanguard 1 continues to help scientists better understand the effects of the Earth's atmosphere on satellites and their orbit.

Perhaps most importantly, it has demonstrated the potential that satellites bring. Nearly 60 years after Vanguard launched into space, artificial satellites became an integral part and participated in countless activities in the modern world.

"NRL has produced a report on satellites that the US Navy needs in the next few decades, including weather satellites, navigation, communication and reconnaissance. The report ends with the necessary technologies. to make them, " Callahan said.

60 years later, those technologies and predictions came true. Satellite helps turn them into reality and the project team deserves to be remembered by the world."It's extraordinary. We not only have models in museums but real satellites are still flying in space. Vanguard 1 is a living history , " Lassman said.