3 Images

Explorer XI, launched on April 27, 1961, by a Juno II rocket, was NASA's first fully dedicated gamma-ray satellite. The satellite was built under a contract overseen by the Marshall Space Flight Center who also supplied the supporting electronic equipment. It carried a gamma-ray telescope built at MIT by W. Kraushaar and G. Clark, and was designed to detect gamma radiation above 50 MeV. During a period of just over 23 days in orbit it detected 22 true gamma-ray events as well as 22,000 events due to charged cosmic rays. The artifact in the collection is one of two backup-up satellites.

NASA transferred the object to the Museum in 1975.

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

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed

Manufacturer

Boeing Aerospace Company

Dimensions

Overall: 16 3/4 × 16 1/2 in., 104.8cm (42.5 × 41.9cm, 41 1/4 in.)
Storage (Aluminum pallet and frame with fabric dust cover): 121.9 × 121.9 × 73.7cm, 57.2kg (48 × 48 × 29 in., 126lb.)

Materials

aluminum, steel, Stainless Steel, Magnesium, glass, Paint, plastic, Acrylic (Plexiglas), Adhesive, Rubber (Silicone), Copper, brass, Phenolic Resin ,Composite, Epoxy, Synthetic Fabric
Shell - aluminum alloy
Solar cells - silicon

Inventory Number

A19761110000

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 Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.