1 Images

This is a payload model for the Explorer S-46 satellite, based upon a fully instrumented developmental model in the collection provided by the University of Iowa. The satellite would have carried instrumentation designed to study the electron and proton fluxes in the Earth's Van Allen Radiation belts over an extended period of time. After launch from Cape Canaveral on March 23, 1960, the upper stage of the Juno 2 vehicle did not ignite, and so the payload never achieved orbit. It was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in May 1974.

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

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Dimensions

Overall: 1 ft. 1 in. × 1 ft. 1 in. × 2 ft. 2 in., 35lb. (33 × 33 × 66cm, 15.9kg)
Approximate: 42.5 × 45.7 × 73.7cm (1 ft. 4 3/4 in. × 1 ft. 6 in. × 2 ft. 5 in.)

Materials

HAZMAT: Cadmium
Magnesium
Ferrous Alloy
Plastics
Paint
Coating
Solar Cells

Inventory Number

A19740876000

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.