was able to launch into space, which proved to be successful. Scientifically speaking Explorer’s 1 goal was to survey the earth to study it’s temperature, radiation and gravitational fields “(Explorer and Early Satellites).” Of the 30 pounds that Explorer 1 carried, 18 pounds of it was made up of instruments that it was carrying with it to space. It’s instrumentation consisted of a cosmic-ray detection package, temperature sensors, and a micrometeorite detector “(Jet Propulsion Laboratory).” Although it’s primary instrument was the cosmic-ray detector, which revealed what seemed to be fewer cosmic rays in its orbit. Van Allen, then theorized that the: “instrument may have been saturated by very strong radiation from a belt of charged particles trapped in space by Earth's magnetic field.” “(NASA).” Two months, later this was confirmed by another U.S. satellite and became known as the Van Allen Belts, which was considerably an outstanding discovery at that time. Thanks to Explorer-1 we were successfully able to detect the trapped radiation in the Earth's magnetosphere, which we know now as the Van Allen Radiation Belt. Which then led to the expansion of knowledge of radiation and built the foundation to begin the study of the Earth’s magnetosphere “(National Aeronaurotics and Space
was able to launch into space, which proved to be successful. Scientifically speaking Explorer’s 1 goal was to survey the earth to study it’s temperature, radiation and gravitational fields “(Explorer and Early Satellites).” Of the 30 pounds that Explorer 1 carried, 18 pounds of it was made up of instruments that it was carrying with it to space. It’s instrumentation consisted of a cosmic-ray detection package, temperature sensors, and a micrometeorite detector “(Jet Propulsion Laboratory).” Although it’s primary instrument was the cosmic-ray detector, which revealed what seemed to be fewer cosmic rays in its orbit. Van Allen, then theorized that the: “instrument may have been saturated by very strong radiation from a belt of charged particles trapped in space by Earth's magnetic field.” “(NASA).” Two months, later this was confirmed by another U.S. satellite and became known as the Van Allen Belts, which was considerably an outstanding discovery at that time. Thanks to Explorer-1 we were successfully able to detect the trapped radiation in the Earth's magnetosphere, which we know now as the Van Allen Radiation Belt. Which then led to the expansion of knowledge of radiation and built the foundation to begin the study of the Earth’s magnetosphere “(National Aeronaurotics and Space