Late on the evening of Janaury 31, 1958, the United States Army successfully orbited Explorer 1. It was the answer to the Soviet Union's Sputnik that the American government and public had been waiting for.
Join us for a Facebook Live with space history curator Michael Neufeld on the 60th anniversary of this accomplishment. He will describe the competition between the Army and the Navy over which would launch the first satellite and how the Army and its Jupiter-C rocket ended up beating the Navy Vanguard, despite the latter being chosen as the official first American program.
Planning to attend in-person? Meet in the Space Race gallery near the Jupiter-C and Vanguard rockets.
Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. we will go live on the National Air and Space Museum Facebook page with an Ask an Expert talk. We’ll select a different aviation or space topic each week, and a Museum staff member will discuss the history, stories, or personalities related to a specific artifact or exhibition in the Museum. Tune in on Facebook Live each week to join the talk and ask our experts questions.