Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

This is a full-scale replica of an Explorer 8 spacecraft. The satellite was launched on November 3, 1960 atop a Juno II vehicle and successfully went into an elliptical orbit. It carried six specialized instruments designed to study the field of charged particles called the ionosphere as well as micrometeorite impacts. Explorer 8 continued to provide data until December 27, 1960. This is one of two specimens in the collection and was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in August 1972 by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Space Science at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

Space Science
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed Manufacturer NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
 Dimensions Approximate: 2 ft. 6 in. diameter x 2 ft. 6 in. tall, 86.4 lb. (76.2 x 76.2cm, 39.2kg)
 Materials Mixed metals, wire, paint.
 Alternate Name Explorer 8 Satellite (Replica) Inventory Number A19761107000 Credit Line Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.