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 Usage conditions may apply Usage conditions may apply Usage conditions may apply

This is the Discoverer XIII reentry capsule which, along with the capsule cover and parachute, was recovered north of Hawaii by the U.S. Navy on August 11, 1960, the first man-made object to be recovered from orbit. The Discoverer XIII satellite had been launched the previous day from Vandenberg AFB. "Discoverer" was the cover name for the highly classified U.S. Air Force/Central Intelligence Agency Corona photoreconnaissance satellite program. The Discoverer XIII satellite did not carry cameras or film, and the capsule contained only diagnostic instruments. Corona satellites, however, carried cameras and film beginning with Discoverer XIV one week later. By the end of the Corona program in May 1972, over 120 Corona satellites had successfully flown and photographed the Soviet Union, China, and other nations. The capsule was made by General Electric and donated by the U.S. Air Force to NASM in 1960.

 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
Key Accomplishment(s) First Man-made Object Recovered from Orbit Brief Description This capsule was recovered from orbit after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere on August 11, 1960. Its success inaugurated a top-secret program of reconnaissance from space, giving the U.S. key information about the Soviet Union's military capabilities during the Cold War. Country of Origin United States of America Type SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed-Test Vehicles Manufacturer General Electric Company
 Dimensions Other: 73.7 × 47cm, 136.1kg (2 ft. 5 in. × 1 ft. 6 1/2 in., 300lb.)
 Materials Capsule is aluminum (w/gold plating); instrumentation inside capsule is magnesium and other metals; wiring inside capsule is metal and plastic
 Alternate Name Discoverer 13 Inventory Number A19610100000 Credit Line Transferred from the United States Air Force Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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