This is a full-scale reproduction of the Jupiter-C launch vehicle with a model of the Explorer I satellite on the top. The Jupiter-C launched Explorer I on 31 January 1958 as the U.S.'s first artificial satellite. The Jupiter-C was a modified version of the Army's 200-mile range Redstone liquid-fuel ballistic missile with added solid-fuel upper stages plus the satellite. The Explorer 1 instruments recorded cosmic rays, micrometeorites, temperatures, and radiations. This rocket was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1980 from the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Type
PROPULSION-Rocket Engines
Manufacturer
Reynolds Metals Company
Dimensions
Overall: 799 3/16 in. long x 70 in. diameter (2029.97 x 177.8cm)
Materials
Body, mainly aluminum; some steel including rocket engine and launch stand; exhaust vanes, black carbon phenolic; fins, steel; discs on the backs of each of the four exhaust vanes, steel, and rusted.
Inventory Number
A19800165000
Credit Line
Transferred from NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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