Vanguard 1: A Legacy of Space Innovation

We all know there are tons of satellites floating around in space. Some are well-known, some might be secret, and some could even be controlled by supervillains—who knows? We often hear about new satellites being launched, but we rarely talk about the older ones. In this video, we’re going to explore the oldest man-made satellite that’s still out there.

Mankind’s race to explore space and land the first man on the moon led to incredible technological advancements and scientific breakthroughs in the 20th century. One of the biggest milestones was launching an artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. Back in the 1950s, both the US and the Soviet Union were determined to be the first to achieve this.

To everyone’s surprise, the Soviet Union managed to quietly launch the first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1. This left the US disappointed as they missed out on making history with this achievement. However, while the US wasn’t the first in this particular aspect of space exploration, they can still boast about building and launching the oldest artificial satellite that remains in orbit to this day.

What I'm referring to is the "grapefruit satellite" known as Vanguard 1, the fourth man-made satellite ever launched into space. Vanguard 1 still orbits the Earth today.

Here's a bit of background: Vanguard 1 was part of a program conceived by the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) back in 1955, called the Vanguard Project. It was intended to be the country’s first satellite program, with the main goal of launching a Vanguard rocket carrying the first ever artificial satellite and successfully placing it in Earth’s orbit. This launch vehicle was a three-stage rocket designed to be powerful enough to propel a scientific spacecraft beyond Earth’s atmosphere and into space.

The design of the Vanguard rocket system was adapted into several rockets built and utilized by Project Vanguard between 1957 and 1959. This effort resulted in the successful launch and placement of three satellites into Earth’s orbit, including Vanguard 1.

The first Vanguard rocket was planned to blast off into space from Cape Canaveral. However, before the US Navy could advance the program, the Soviet Union had already developed its own rocket system and artificial orbital satellites. They launched Sputnik 1 into orbit, marking a significant achievement during a time of rising tensions between the US and the Soviet Union.

The historical launch of Sputnik 1 symbolized the technological superiority of the Soviet Union over the United States. This achievement made Western nations fearful and anxious, as it suggested that the Soviet Union was now more technologically advanced than any other country in the world. This situation placed immense public pressure on the US government to replicate and even surpass the communist superpower, sparking what came to be known as the Space Race between the two rival nations.

When the Vanguard Project scheduled the test launch of Vanguard Test Vehicle 3 (TV-3) on December 6, 1957, all eyes were on the US Navy. This event was televised and intended to showcase American technological prowess. However, what was supposed to be an iconic display of American power turned into a devastating failure. Just a few seconds after liftoff, the Vanguard TV-3 crashed and burst into flames.

Then came Wernher von Braun, a rocket scientist who had previously worked for Nazi Germany. With the support of the US military, von Braun was working on the Jupiter rocket, a launch vehicle heavily influenced by the V-2 ballistic missile.

Wernher von Braun believed that his Jupiter rockets had enough power to fly past Earth's atmosphere. One of von Braun's Jupiter launchers, specifically the Juno I rocket, was prepared to send a new satellite into space. In just three months, his team finished building the satellite, which they named Explorer 1. On January 31, 1958, the US successfully launched a satellite into orbit with the liftoff of Explorer 1.

Following this success, it didn't take long for the US Navy's Vanguard Project to rise from the ashes and set out to officially launch their new satellite. Vanguard 1, although it became the fourth man-made satellite to orbit Earth, was unique compared to its predecessors. It was the first satellite ever to be powered by the Sun, meaning it had the potential to transmit data from space for several years, unlike the other satellites, which functioned for just a few months.

On March 17, 1958, an aluminum sphere-shaped satellite weighing only three pounds with a diameter of about six inches was launched via a Vanguard rocket system and placed into an elliptical orbit. This was a significant achievement because the release of Vanguard 1 into space served the purpose of testing the effects of the space environment on the satellite and all of its systems.

While still in Earth's orbit, Vanguard 1 was meant to gather data while revolving around the planet. To accomplish this, the satellite was equipped with transmitters powered by a mercury battery and solar cells. It also featured six antennas and two thermistors to monitor its internal temperature and assess its resistance to heat.

Originally, Vanguard 1 was estimated to stay in orbit for around 2,000 years. However, considering environmental factors like atmospheric drag and solar radiation, it is now expected to last a few hundred years, which is still a very long time. Vanguard 1 finally stopped transmitting data back to Earth in 1964, seven years after its launch. Yet, even today, it continues to orbit Earth and celebrated its 60th anniversary in March 2018.

While Vanguard 1 was not the first satellite to orbit Earth, its intrinsic value as a scientific innovation and the role it played in the competitive space race between the US and the Soviet Union is significant. So, if Stephen Hawking's prediction that Earth will only be habitable for another 100 years holds true, at least that little satellite will still be up there.

Thank you all so much for reading and I will see you next time.

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