This is the junction box used for electrical connections onboard the Datasphere, the first instrumented package to be recovered from space by the United States. Launched by a U.S. Air Force Thor ballistic missile on 13 June 1958 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, it transmitted and recorded information such as temperatures, pressures, and stresses critical to progress in the nation's spaceflight programs. The Datasphere reached an altitude of over 200 miles, reentered the atmosphere at more than 10,000 miles an hour, and was recovered intact in the South Atlantic. The manufacturer of this junction box is unknown. The Air Force donated it to NASM in 1959.
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-Instruments & Payloads
Dimensions
Overall (junction box): 5in. x 4in. x 2 3/4in. (12.7 x 10.16 x 6.99cm)
Overall (round segment): 9 x 4.5cm (3 9/16in. x 1 3/4in.)
Materials
HAZMAT: Cadmium Plating
Steel, stainless steel, resin, copper, brass, electrical wire, rubber, Teflon
Inventory Number
A19590107000
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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