The
28 spacecrafts launched in 1958:
..
Spacecraft
Entries
.
Explorer 1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #1 ; 1958-001A ; 4th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families |
3rd science
& technology satellite (2nd American) |
| Rank: |
4th civilian
spacecraft (2nd American) ; 2nd American
spacecraft (2nd civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. AMBA / Army Ballistic Missile Agency |
|
 |
| Launch: |
1st February 1958 at 3h48 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-26A, by a Jupiter C (RTV
4, Juno I C 29 (IE), RS-29). |
| Orbit: |
356 km x 2 548 km x 33,2° x 114,8 min. |
| Decayed: |
31 May 1970 |
| Mission: |
First successful US orbital launch, Explorer
1 was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and carried the U.S.-IGY
(International Geophysical Year) experiment of James A. Van Allen for the
study of cosmic rays, micrometeorites, and for monitoring of the satellite's
temperature. It carried a single Geiger-Mueller detector (to detect cosmic
rays), micrometeorite detection was accomplished using both a wire grid
(arrayed around the aft section of the rocket body) and an acoustic detector
(placed in contact with the midsection). On-orbit dry mass: 13.97
kg (4.82 kg instrumentation package). Explorer 1 transmitted until 23 May
1958.
Explorer 1discovered
Van Allen radiation belts around Earth that durably trapped radiation in
the Earth's magnetosphere, dubbed the Van Allen Radiation Belt after the
principal investigator of the cosmic ray experiment on Explorer 1. It is
one of the most important discovery of the Space Era. |
|
|
| Notes: |
  Explorer
1 was launched on a modified Army Ballistic Missile Agency (AMBA) Jupiter-C,
on 31 January 1958 at 22h48 p.m. EST (local time), or 3h48 UTC on 1st February. |
Naming the first
U.S.
satellite: |
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, responsible
for the fourth stage of the Jupiter C rocket and for the satellite, had
called the effort "Project Deal" (a loser in a poker game always called
for a new deal -- and this satellite was the answer to the Russian Sputnik).
On the day of the launch, ABMA proposed the name "Top Kick," which
was not considered appropriate. The list
of names was brought out again. All the names on the list had been crossed
out and only the heading "Explorers" remained. The late Richard Hirsch,
a member of the National Security Council's Ad Hoc Committee for Outer
Space, suggested that the first American satellite be called simply "Explorer."
The name was accepted and announced by the Secretary of the Army Wilbur
M. Brucker, It indicated she mission of this first satellite: to explore
the unknown. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's Master
List ; Mark
Wade’s Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's 1958-001A
; TRW Space Log ; Vanguard,
A History (NASA SP-4202) Chapter
12 & Explorer
Flight Summary ; Origins
of NASA Names (NASA SP-4402) Chapter
2 p. 49-50 ; |
|
|
.
Vanguard TV-3bu
| Spacecraft: |
Vanguard Test Satellite Backup |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #2 ; 1958 1st loss ; 5th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
3rd technology
satellite (2nd American) ; 2nd failure. |
| Ranks: |
5th civilian
spacecraft (3rd American) ; 3rd American
spacecraft (3rd civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. NRL / Naval Research Laboratory |
|
 |
|
.
Explorer 2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #3 ; 1958 2nd loss ; 6th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
4th science
satellite (3rd American) ; 3rd failure. |
| Ranks: |
6th civilian
spacecraft (4th American) ; 4th American
spacecraft (4th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. AMBA / Army Ballistic Missile Agency |
|
|
|
.
Vanguard I
| Spacecraft: |
Vanguard 1C / Vanguard Test Satellite |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #4 ; 1958-002A ; 7th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
5th science
satellite (4th American) |
| Ranks: |
7th civilian
spacecraft (5th American) ; 5th American
spacecraft (5th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. NRL / Naval Research Laboratory |
|
 |
| Launch: |
17 March 1958 at 12h16 UTC, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-18A, by a Vanguard (TV-4). |
| Orbit: |
658 km x 3 968 km x 34,35° x 134,18 min. |
| Decayed |
The oldest satellite in orbit. |
| Mission: |
  Vanguard
1 was a small satellite designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage
launch vehicle and the effects of the environment on asatellite and its
systems in Earth orbit. It also was used to obtain geodetic measurements
through orbit analysis. The spacecraft was a 1.47-kg aluminum sphere 15.2
cm in diameter. It contained a mercury-battery powered transmitter and
a transmitter powered by six solar cells mounted on the body of the satellite.
Six short aerials protruded from the sphere. The transmitters were used
primarily for engineering and tracking data, but were also used to determine
the total electron content between the satellite and ground stations. Vanguard
also carried two thermistors which measured the interior temperature over
16 days in order to track the effectiveness of the thermal protection.
The battery-powered transmitter stopped operating in June 1958 when the
batteries ran down. The solar powered transmitter operated until May 1964.
On 17 March 1971, Vanguard I completed third year in orbit and was
still transmitting. It provided much useful data on orbits, including the
slight pear-shape of the Earth and the effect of solar pressure.
On 17 March 1963,
the fifth anniversary of its orbiting, Vanguard I was still transmitting
data. The satellite had made more than 19,700 orbits and had slowed about
1/4 sec. from original 134 min., 27 sec. period. Present apogee: 3,937
km; perigee: 648 km. Scientists estimated Vanguard I might have a lifetime
of 2,000 years. After six years in orbit (1964), Vanguard I was the only
satellite orbited before 1959 that was still transmitting. |
| Notes: |
Original estimates had the orbit of Vanguard
will last for 2000 years. But it was discovered that solar radiation pressure
and atmospheric drag during high levels of solar activity produced significant
perturbations in the perigee height of the satellite, which caused a significant
decrease in its expected lifetime to only about 240 years. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's 1958-002B
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:1958-002B
; TRW Space Log ; Vanguard,
A History (NASA SP-4202) Chapter
12 ; NASA, Aeronautical
and Astronautical Events of 1961, p.10 ; ;Aeronautical
and Astronautical Events of 1963, p. 96-7 ; Astronautical
Events of 1964, p. 107 ; |
|
|
.
Explorer 3
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #5 ; 1958-003A ; 8th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
6th science
satellite (5th American) |
| Ranks: |
8th civilian
spacecraft (6th American) ; 6th American
spacecraft (6th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. AMBA / Army Ballistic Missile Agency |
|
|
|
.
"Sputnik"
| Spacecraft: |
D-1 no. 1 / Object D or D-1 |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #6 ; 1958 3rd loss ; 9th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
7th science
satellite (2nd Soviet) ; 4th failure. |
| Ranks: |
9th civilian
spacecraft (3rd Soviet) ; 3rd Soviet
spacecraft (3rd civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
Soviet Union (Korolev's Desing Bureau) |
|
|
| Launch: |
27 April 1958, from Baykonur
Cosmodrome's LC-1, by an A/"Sputnik" (8A91 B1-2). |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
The first truly "scientific" satellite to
be orbited by the Soviet Union; it was supposed to have been launched first
in 1957, but when this spacecraft tooke longer than planned to be built,
it was replaced by two simpler ones. This 1 250-kg spacecraft was dedicated
to study Earth's magnetosphere. It was lost when the launch vehicle
disintegrated 88 seconds after liftoff.
The breadth and
number of scientific instruments on board the spacecraft was literally
a jolt to Western scientists: the 1,327-kilogram observatory made out of
aluminum alloy carried twelve scientific experiments on board. The useful
payload of the sophisticated scientific observatory was 968 kilograms,
and its scientific program was supported by 7 team of scientists from various
discipline,
Object D was launched
by a modified R-7 ICBM named the 8A91, but the launch vehicle broke up
into pieces 96.5 seconds after liftoff because of resonant frequencies,
thus destroying two and a half years' worth of labor. |
| Notes: |
Object D (or D-1) was so named because it
would be the fifth type of payload to be carried on an R-7. Objects A,
B, V, and G were designations for different nuclear warhead containers.
The satellite was a complex scientific laboratory, far more sophisticated
than anything planned for launch in the world in 1956. Object D had originall
been slated to be the first Soviet satellite; having been usurped from
its place by the smaller PS-1 and PS-2 spacecraft, it was the last Soviet
space project in existence at the time. |
| Source: |
Mark
Wade’s Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ; TRW Space Log ; Asif Siddiqi, Challenge
To Apollo, p. 151, 176 ; |
|
|
.
Vanguard TV-5
| Spacecraft: |
Vanguard 2A X-ray/environmental
satellite |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #7 ; 1958 4th loss ; 10th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
8th science
satellite (6th American) ; 5th failure. |
| Ranks: |
10th civilian
spacecraft (7th American) ; 7th American
spacecraft (7th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. NRL / Naval Research Laboratory |
|
 |
|
.
Sputnik 3
| Spacecraft: |
D-1 no. 2 / 3-y Sovetskiy ISZ |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #8 ; 1958-004A ; 11th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
9th science
satellite (3rd Soviet) |
| Ranks: |
11th civilian
spacecraft (4th Soviet) ; 4th Soviet
spacecraft (4th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
Soviet Union |
|
|
| Launch: |
15 May 1958 at 7h12 UTC, from
Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by an A/"Sputnik" (8A91 B1-1). |
| Orbit: |
226 km x 1 881 km x 65,2° x 105,95 min. |
| Decayed: |
6 April 1960 |
| Mission: |
Replaced the Sputnik
losted in April. Sputnik 3 was an automatic scientific laboratory. It was
conically-shaped and was 3.57 meter long with a mass of 1,327 kg. The scientific
instrumentation (twelve instruments) provided data on pressure and composition
of the upper atmosphere, concentration of charged particles, photons in
cosmic rays, heavy nuclei in cosmic rays, magnetic and electrostatic fields,
and meteoric particles. The outer radiation belts of the Earth were detected
during the flight.
This spacecraft
was an identical backup article or Object D, with
the same instrument complement. The Soviet press referred to it as
the "Third Artificial Satellit,", later retroactively naming it "Sputnik
3". Prior to launch, there was reportedly some doubt about the functioning
capabilities of the Tral-D data recorder but Korolev, under pressure from
Khrushchev to launch the satellite in time to show support for the Italian
Communist Party in the Italian elections, opted to launch without verifying
the operation of the device in question. During the flight, ground controllers
discovered that the data recorder did indeed fail, thus depriving scientists
of information during periods when the satellite was not within communications
view of ground stations. This had a repercussive effect on preventing scientists
from confirming without doubt the existence of a radiation belt around
Earth, there was simply no way to prove that the belt was continuous because
of gaps in data. Despite the serious failure, there were 100,000 telemetric
measurements and 40,000 optical observations conducted until communication
was lost with the spacecraft on 3 June 1958. The mission provided a substantial
amount of scientific and technological data in various disciplines. Object
D decayed from orbit on 6 April 1960, leaving behind the record of having
been the first advanced scientific observatory launched into space. |
| Notes: |
On 25 February 1962, Soviet scientists claimed to have discovered the
third radiation belt around the Earth and published such findings two years
before the findings of Explorer XII were made
public by NASA on January 19, 1962. Academician Blagonravov, Vice President
of the International Committee on Space Research, said in an Izvestia interview
that the existence of a dense belt with energies of 200 to 20,000 electron
volts at a distance of 40,000 to 80,000 km was recorded by Soviet space
launchings in 1958. Such findings, he said, were published by Dr. K. Gringauz
and associates in the February and April issues of the Soviet Academy of
Sciences Proceedings in 1960, and in later publications. Commenting on
the view that the three radiation belts really formed a single large pulsating
band that might be called a imagnetosphere, Blagonravov agreed that the
boundaries might be arbitrary but that the charged particles in each belt
had distinctive characteristics and that it would be inexpedient to reject
the theory of three belts. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's 1958-004B
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:1958-004B
; TRW Space Log ;; Asif Siddiqi, Challenge To Apollo, p. 175-6 ;Aeronautics
and Astronautics, 1962, p. 22 |
|
|
.
Vanguard SLV-1
| Spacecraft: |
Vanguard 2B / Lyman Alpha satellite |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #9 ; 1958 5th loss ; 12th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
10th science
satellite (7th American) ; 6th failure. |
| Ranks: |
12th civilian
spacecraft (8th American) ; 8th American
spacecraft (8th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. NRL / Naval Research Laboratory |
|
|
|
.
Vanguard SLV-2
| Spacecraft: |
Vanguard 2C / Lyman Alpha satellite |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #10 ; 1958 6th loss ; 13th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
11th science
satellite (8th American) ; 7th failure
; |
| Ranks: |
13th civilian
spacecraft (9th American) ; 9th American
spacecraft (9th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. NRL / Naval Research Laboratory |
|
 |
|
.
NOTS 1 / Pilot 1
| Spacecraft: |
Diagnostic Payload 1/ Pilot no.
1 |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #11 ; 1958 7th loss ; 14th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
1st
military science & technology satellite (1st American) ; 8th failure. |
| Ranks: |
1st military
spacecraft (1st American) : 10th American
spacecraft (1st military satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Navy |
|
|
| Launch: |
25 July 1958, from Inyokern /
China Lake, by a NOTS-SLV (no. 1). |
| Orbit: |
? |
| Mission: |
Radio contact lost; possibly reached orbit. |
| Notes: |
 The
NOTS program was an air-launched satellite system and anti-satellite versions,
tested shortly after Sputnik. The project competed with the Army's Jupiter-C,
the Air Force Atlas and the civilian Vanguard. It comprized 10 missions:
4 suborbital R&D flights and six "Pilot" orbital tries, all of which
ending in failure. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's Master
List ; Mark
Wade’s Encyclopedia Astronautica NOTS
; |
|
|
.
Explorer 4
| Spacecraft: |
Explorer B |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #12 ; 1958-005A ; 15th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
12th science
satellite (9th American) ; 11th American
spacecraft (10th civilian satellite) |
| Ransk: |
14th civilian
spacecraft (10th American) ; |
| Sponsor: |
U.S, DARPA |
|
|
| Launch: |
26 July 1958 at 15h07 UTC, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-5, by a Jupiter C (RTV
7, Juno I C 44 (TT), RS/CC-44). |
| Orbit: |
257 km x 1 352 km x 50,2° x 100,9 min. |
| Decayed: |
23 October 1959 |
| Mission: |
Explorer IV carrying two Geiger-Mueller counters,
two scintillation counters, and internal temperature measurements transmitted
by sub-carrier center frequency shift. The spacecraft was a cylindrically
shaped satellite instrumented to make the first detailed measurements of
charged particles (protons and electrons) trapped in the terrestrial radiation
belts. It explored a far greater volume of space as regards latitude and
altitude than Explorers I and III.
Collected data on trapped electrons resulting from Argus high-altitude
nuclear explosions.
An unexpected tumble motion
of the satellite made the interpretation of the detector data very difficult.
The low-power transmitter and the plastic scintillator detector failed
on 3 September 1958. The two Geiger-Mueller tubes and the cesium iodide
crystal detectors continued to operate normally until 19 September 1958.
The high-power transmitter ceased sending signals on 5 October 1958. It
is believed that exhaustion of the power batteries caused these failures.
The spacecraft decayed from orbit after 454 days .On-orbit dry mass: 25.50
kg |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's 1958-005A
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:1958-005A
; TRW Space Log ; Vanguard: A History's Explorer
Flight Summary ; |
|
|
.
NOTS 2 / Pilot 2
| Spacecraft: |
Diagnostic Payload 2 / Pilot
no. 2 |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #13 ; 1958 8th loss ; 16th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
2nd military
science & technology satellite (2nd American) ; 9th failure. |
| Ranks: |
2nd military
spacecraft (2nd American) : 12th American
spacecraft (2nd military satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Navy |
|
|
|
.
Able 1 / "Pioneer
0"
| Spacecraft: |
See note below on Pioneer
naming (in
Pioneer 1 entry). |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #14 ; 1958 9th loss ; 17th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Lunar probe |
| Families: |
1st planetary
probe (1st American) ; 10th failure. |
| Ranks: |
14th civilian
spacecraft (11th American) ; 13th American
spacecraft (11th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Air Force |
|
 |
| Launch: |
17 August 1958 at 12b18 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-17A, by a Thor-Able (Thor 127
/ Able 1). |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
First lunar attempt: the 37.8-kg Pioneer
0 probe was designed to go into orbit around the Moon. It carried a TV
camera and other instruments as part of the first International Geophysical
Year (IGY) science payload. The spacecraft was destroyed by an explosion
of the first (Thor booster) stage 77 seconds after launch at 16 km altitude,
16 km downrange over the Atlantic. Failure was suspected to be due to a
ruptured fuel or oxygen line. Erratic telemetry signals were received from
the probe and upper stages for 123 seconds after the explosion. Thor exploded
after 17 seconds. (Spacecraft Mass: 38 kg.) |
| Origins: |
|
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's ABLE1
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:ABLE1
; TRW Space Log ; A. Siddiqi, SP-2002-4524,
p. 17 ; |
|
|
.
NOTS 3 / Pilot 3
| Spacecraft: |
Diagnostic Payload 3 / Pilot
no. 3 |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #15 ; 1958 10th loss ; 18th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
3rd military
science & technology satellite (3rd American) ; 11th failure. |
| Ranks: |
3rd military
spacecraft (3rd American) : 14th American
spacecraft (3rd military satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Navy |
|
|
|
.
Explorer 5
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #16 ; 1958 11th loss ; 19th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
13th science
satellite (10th American) ; 12th failure. |
| Ranks: |
16th civilian
spacecraft (12th American) ; 15th American
spacecraft (12th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. DARPA |
|
|
|
.
NOTS 4 / Pilot 4
| Spacecraft: |
Radiation Payload 1 / Pilot no.
4 |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #17 ; 1958 12th loss ; 20th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
4th military
science & technology satellite (4th American) ; 13th failure. |
| Ranks: |
4th military
spacecraft (4th American) : 16th American
spacecraft (4th military satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Navy |
|
|
|
.
NOTS 5 / Pilot 5
| Spacecraft: |
Radiation Payload 2 / Pilot no.
5 |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #18 ; 1958 13th loss ; 21st
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
5th military
science & technology satellite (5th American) ; 14th failure. |
| Ranks: |
5th military
spacecraft (5th American) : 17th American
spacecraft (5th military satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Navy |
|
|
|
.
NOTS 6 / Pilot 6
| Spacecraft: |
Radiation Payload 3 / Pilot no.
6 |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #19 ; 1958 14th loss ; 22nd
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
6th military
science & technology satellite (6th American) ; 15th failure. |
| Ranks: |
6th military
spacecraft (6th American) : 18th American
spacecraft (6th military satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Navy |
|
|
| Launch: |
28 August 1958, from Inyokern
/ China Lake, by a NOTS-SLV. |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
One first stage motor failed to ignite, causing
structural failure. |
| Source: |
Mark
Wade’s Encyclopedia Astronautica NOTS
; |
|
|
.
"Luna"
| Spacecraft: |
Ye-1 no. 1 (E-1 no. 1) |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #20 ; 1958 15th loss ; 23rd
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Lunar probe |
| Families: |
2nd planetary
probe (1st Soviet) ; 16th failure. |
| Ranks: |
16th civilian
spacecraft (5th Soviet) ; 5th Soviet
spacecraft (5th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
Soviet Union (Korolev's Design Bureau) |
|
|
| Launch: |
23 September 1958 at 9h03 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by an A-1/"Vostok" (8K72 B1-3). |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
This early Luna launch was believed to be
an attempt to reach the Moon and impact on its surface. It was a simple
probe, a pressurized spherical object made from aluminum-magnesium alloy,
approximately the size of the first Sputnik,
that carried five scientific instruments. The goals of the mission were
to study the gas component of interplanetary matter (using the proton traps),
meteoric particles and photons in cosmic radiation (using the piezoelectric
detectors), the magnetic fields of the Moon and Earth (using the magnetometer),
variations in cosmic ray intensity, and heavy nuclei in primary cosmic
radiation. The probe (on its upper stage) also carried one kilogram of
natrium to create an artificial comet on the outbound trajectory that could
be photographed from Earth. Spacecraft Mass: ~360 kg (with upper stage).
During the
launch, the booster developed longitudinal resonant vibrations on the strap-on
boosters of the launch vehicle. The rocket eventually disintegrated at
T+93 seconds, destroying its payload.
According to Bart
Hendrickx, this first Luna launch attempt take place a month after
the Pioneer failure. But, had Pioneer 0 been successfully
launched, the Russians would have made their first attempt the following
day. When Korolyov learned of US plans to launch the first Pioneer on 17
August, he moved his first Luna launch to the day after. Since the Soviet
probe would fly a shorter trajectory, it would reach the Moon prior to
Pioneer. When the Pioneer launch failed, Korolyov decided to play it safe
and roll the rocket back to the assembly building. There had been problems
with the R-7 main engines as well as other malfunctions during pre-launch
preparations. The R-7 was returned to the pad in mid-September but failed
87 seconds into flight. |
| Origins: |
The Soviet government approved a modest plan
for initial exploration of the Moon in March 1958. Engineers conceived
of four initial probes: the Ye-1 (for lunar impact), Ye-2 (to photograph
the far side of the Moon), Ye-3 (to photograph the far side of the Moon)
and Ye-4 (for lunar impact with a nuclear explosion). |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's Master
List ; Mark
Wade’s Encyclopedia Astronautica ; TRW Space Log ; A. Siddiqi, SP-2002-4524,
p. 17-8 ; Bart Hendrickx, "Friends and Partners in
Space" newgroups, 19 August 1998. |
|
|
.
Vanguard SLV-3
| Spacecraft: |
Vanguard 2D / Cloud cover satellite |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #21 ; 1958 16th loss ; 24th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families: |
14th science
satellite (11th American) ; 17th failure. |
| Ranks: |
17th civilian
spacecraft (12th American) ; 19th American
spacecraft (13th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. NRL / Naval Research Laboratory |
|
|
|
.
Able 2 / Pioneer 1
| Spacecraft: |
This mission, Able 2, has been
retroactively known as Pioneer 1. |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #22 ; 1958-006A ; 25th spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Lunar probe |
| Families: |
3rd planetary
probe (2nd American) |
| Ranks: |
18th civilian
spacecraft (13th American) ; 20th American
spacecraft (14th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Air Force/NASA |
|
|
| Launch: |
11 October 1958 at 8h42 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-17A, by a Thor Able (Thor 130
/ Able 1). |
| Orbit: |
Ballistic trajectory, up to 113,800 km from
Earth. |
| Decayed: |
13 October 1958 at 3h46 UTC over the South
Pacific Ocean after 43 hours of flight. |
| Mission: |
The second and most successful of three project
Able space probes. The The 34.20-kg spacecraft was very similar in design
to the Able 1 probe. It was intended to study
the ionizing radiation, cosmic rays, magnetic fields and micrometeorites
in the vicinity of the Earth and in lunar orbit.
During the mission,
the Thor second stage shut down 10 seconds early due to incorrect information
from an accelerometer measuring incremental velocity. The launch vehicle
thus imparted insufficient velocity for the probe to escape the Earth’s
gravity. An attempt to insert the spacecraft into high-Earth orbit at 32,200
x 128,700 kilometers by using its retromotor failed because internal temperatures
had fallen too much for the batteries to provide adequate power. The probe
did, however, reach an altitude of 115,400 kilometers by 11h42 UTC, verifying
the existence of the Van Allen belts and returning other useful data before
reentering 43 hours 17 minutes after launch.
Partial failure:
a small quantity of useful scientific information was returned, showing
the radiation surrounding Earth was in the form of bands and measuring
the extent of the bands, mapping the total ionizing flux, making the first
observations of hydromagnetic oscillations of the magnetic field, and taking
the first measurements of the density of micrometeorites and the interplanetary
magnetic field. |
| Notes: |
Although the USAF actually conducted the
mission, this was the first U. S. space mission under the aegis of
the recently formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The
probe was developed by Space Technology Laboratories, Inc. and was launched
for NASA by the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division (AFBMD). |
| Pioneer name: |
"Pioneer" was chosen as the name for the
first U.S. space probe: Pioneer 1 as well as for the following series of
lunar and deep space probes. The Pioneer series had been initiated for
the International Geophysical Year by the Department of Defense's Advanced
Research Projects Agency (ARPA), which assigned execution variously to
the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division (AFBMD) and to the Army Ballistic
Missile Agency (ABMA).
Credit for naming
the first probe has been attributed to Stephen A. Saliga, who had been
assigned to the Air Force Orientation Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, as chief
designer of Air Force exhibits. While he was at a briefing, the spacecraft
was described to him as a "lunar-orbiting vehicle with an infrared scanning
device." Saliga thought the title too long and lacked theme for an exhibit
design. He suggested "Pioneer" as the name of the probe since "the Army
had already launched and orbited the Explorer satellite and their Public
Information Office was identifying the Army as 'Pioneers in Space,'" and
by adopting the name the Air Force would "make a 'quantum jump' as to who
really [were] the 'Pioneers in space.'" |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's 1958-007A
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:1958-007A
; TRW Space Log ; A. Siddiqi, SP-2002-4524,
p. 18 ; Origins
of NASA Names (NASA SP-4402) Chapter
3 p. 88-89 ; |
|
|
..
"Luna"
| Spacecraft: |
Ye-1 no. 2 (E-1 no. 2) |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #23 ; 1958 17th loss ; 26th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Lunar probe |
| Families: |
4th planetary
probe (2nd Soviet) ; 18th failure. |
| Ranks: |
19th civilian
spacecraft (6th Soviet) ; 6th Soviet
spacecraft (6th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
Soviet Union (Korolev's Design Bureau) |
|
|
| Launch: |
11 October 1958 at 23h42 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by an A-1/"Vostok" (8K72 B1-4). |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
This early Luna launch was believed to be
an attempt to reach the Moon and impact on its surface. The second attempt
to impact the Moon (after
Luna) failed when, again,
the probe never left Earth’s atmosphere. The launch vehicle exploded after
104 seconds due to longitudinal resonant vibrations in the strap-on boosters.
(Spacecraft Mass: ~360 kg (with upper stage).) |
| Note: |
This mission was launched a few hours after
the Pioneer 1 mission. Because Luna was on a faster
trajectory, it would have reached the Moon first. |
| Source: |
Mark
Wade’s Encyclopedia Astronautica ; TRW Space Log ;; A. Siddiqi, SP-2002-4524,
p. 18 ; |
|
|
Beacon 1
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #24 ; 1958 18th loss ; 27th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Easth/space science |
| Families; |
15th science
satellite (12th American) ; 19th failure. |
| Ranks: |
20th civilian
spacecraft (14th American) ; 21st American
spacecraft (15th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
NASA/U.S. Army |
|
|
| Launch: |
23 October 1958 at 3h22 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-5, by a Jupiter C (RTV
9, Juno I C 49 (TE), RS/CC-49). |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
Beacon 1 was a thin plastic sphere (3,6-meter
in diameter after inflation) launched to study atmospheric density at various
levels. This 4-kg high-visibility balloon was also to serve as a radar
target. But the rocket's upper stages and the payload separated prior to
first-stage burnout, thus the mission was a failure. Rotational spin vibrations
of the cluster caused the payload to drop off at 112 seconds and structural
failure after 149 seconds. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's BEAC1
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:BEAC1
; TRW Space Log ; Vanguard: A History's Explorer
Flight Summary ; |
|
|
.
Able 3 / Pioneer 2
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #25 ; 1958 19th loss ; 28th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Lunar probe |
| Families: |
5th planetary
probe (3rd American) ; 20th failure. |
| Ranks: |
21st civilian
spacecraft (15th American) ; 22nd American
spacecraft (16th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Air Force & NASA |
|
|
| Launch: |
8 November 1958 at 7h30 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-17A, by a Thor Able (Thor 129
/ Able 1). |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
This lunar probe was developed by USAF's
Space Technology Laboratories, Inc. and was launched for NASA by the Air
Force Ballistic Missile Division (AFBMD). The 39. 6 kg probe included a
new TV scanner and a new type of battery, as well as a new cosmic-ray telescope
to study the Cherenkov Effect. For this third Air Force launch of a lunar
orbiter, engineers introduced a number of changes to the Thor-Able launcher.
Like its predecessors, Pioneer 2 never reached its target. A signal from
the ground shut down the Thor launch vehicle’s stage 2 earlier than planned.
Additionally, when the X-248 third-stage engine separated, it failed to
fire. As a result, the probe burned up in Earth’s atmosphere only 45 minutes
after launch. During its brief mission, it reached an altitude of 1,550
kilometers and sent back data that suggested that Earth’s equatorial region
had higher flux and energy levels than previously thought. The information
also indicated that micrometeoroid density was higher near Earth than in
space. Investigators concluded that the third-stage engine had failed to
fire because of a broken wire. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's PION2
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:PION2
; TRW Space Log ; A. Siddiqi, SP-2002-4524,
p. 18-9 ; Origins
of NASA Names (NASA SP-4402) Chapter
3 p. 88-89 ; |
|
|
.
"Luna"
| Spacecraft: |
Ye-1 no. 3 (E-1 no. 3) |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #26 ; 1958 20th loss ; 29th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Lunar probe |
| Families: |
6th planetary
probe (3rd Soviet) ; 21st failure. |
| Ranks: |
22nd civilian
spacecraft (7th Soviet) ; 7th Soviet
spacecraft (7th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
Soviet Union (Korolev's Design Bureau) |
|
|
| Launch: |
4 December 1958 at 18h19 UTC,
from Baykonur Cosmodrome's LC-1, by an A-1/"Vostok" (8K72 B1-5). |
| Orbit: |
None. |
| Mission: |
This mission was the third failure in a row
in Soviet attempts to send a Ye-1 lunar impact probe to the Moon. The thrust
level of the core engine of the R-7 booster dropped abruptly at T+245 seconds,
leading eventually to premature engine cutoff. The payload never reached
escape velocity. (Spacecraft Mass: ~360 kg (with upper stage). |
| Source: |
Mark
Wade’s Encyclopedia Astronautica ; TRW Space Log ; A. Siddiqi, SP-2002-4524,
p. 19 ; |
|
|
.
Pioneer 3
| Spacecraft: |
|
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #27 ; 1958 21st loss ; 30th
spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Lunar probe |
| Families: |
7th planetary
probe (4th American) ; 22nd failure. |
| Ranks: |
23nd civilian
spacecraft (16th American) ; 23th American
spacecraft (17th civilian satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
NASA & AMBA |
|
 |
| Launch: |
6 December 1958 at 5h45 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-05, by a Juno II (RTV
10, AM-1 [or AM-11?]). |
| Orbit: |
Ballistic trajectory up to 102,322 km |
| Dacayed: |
7 December 1958 at 16h51 UTC. |
| Mission: |
Pioneer 3 was the first of two U. S. Army
launches to the Moon: it was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and launched for NASA by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA). The
5.87 kg probe was a spin-stabilized craft (up to 700 rpm) whose primary
goal was to fly by the Moon. Two special 0.21-ounce weights were to spin
out on 1.5-meter wires and reduce spin to 12 rpm once the mission was under
way. The spacecraft carried an optical sensor to test a future imaging
system. If the sensor received, from a source such as the Moon, a collimated
beam of light that was wide enough to pass through a lens and fall simultaneously
on two photocells, then the sensor would send a signal to switch on an
imaging system (not carried on this spacecraft). The launch failed as the
main booster engine shut down 4 seconds earlier than planned due to propellant
depletion. Once put on its trajectory, Pioneer 3 was about 1,030 kilometers
per hour short of escape velocity. It eventually reached 102,322 kilometers
and burned up over Africa 38 hours 6 minutes after launch. The spacecraft
contributed to the major scientific discovery of dual bands of radiation
around Earth. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's 1958-008A
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's ID:1958-008A
; TRW Space Log ; A. Siddiqi, SP-2002-4524,
p. 19 ; Origins
of NASA Names (NASA SP-4402) Chapter
3 p. 88-89 ; |
|
|
.
Score
| Spacecraft: |
Signal Communication by Orbiting
Relay Equipment |
| Chronologies: |
1958 payload #28 ; 1958-007A ; 31st spacecraft. |
| Type: |
Technology |
| Families: |
|
| Ranks: |
7th military
spacecraft (7th American) : 24th American
spacecraft (7th military satellite) |
| Sponsor: |
U.S. Army |
|
|
| Launch: |
18 December 1958 at 23h02 UTC,
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's LC-11, by an Atlas B (10B). |
| Orbit: |
|
| Mission: |
This US Army satellite was an 80-ft long,
10-ft diam Atlas missile used as a platform for the communications relay
experiment. The spacecraft body served as antennae. This satellite was
to demonstrate the feasibility of, and explore problems associated with,
operation of a satellite communication system. It carried messages on a
tape recorder which was used at one point to carry a Christmas greeting
from President Eisenhower. This was the first voice transmission from space
which was broadcast from on December 18, 1958. The performance was nominal
with experiment operation for 12 days, planned orbit lifetime 20 days,
actual orbit lifetime 35 days. |
| Source: |
Jonathan
Space Report's 1958-006A
; Mark Wade’s
Encyclopedia Astronautica ; National
Space Science Data Center's 1958-006A
; NASA, Aeronautical
and Astronautical Events of 1962, p. 117 ; |
|
|
|
