Tag: James van Allen

Pioneer 4 Marked Beginning of NASA’s Exploration Beyond Earth  

Pioneer 4 Marked Beginning of NASA’s Exploration Beyond Earth  

Since its formation in 1958, one of NASA’s core missions has been to explore. The fledgling space agency’s first successful probe to study what lies beyond Earth was Pioneer 4, 64 years ago. NASA’s commitment to exploration is continuing with plans to launch an Orion spacecraft atop a Space Launch System rocket on the Artemis 1 mission targeted for later this year.

America’s First Satellite Established ‘Foothold in Space’

America’s First Satellite Established ‘Foothold in Space’

On the evening of Jan. 31, 1958, the United States orbited its first satellite — Explorer 1. The effort was part of the nation’s participation in the International Geophysical Year (IGY), a peaceful scientific endeavor. It also marked America’s first step in the Space Race of the Cold War.