OSCAR 1 (Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio)

Over 1959-1960, a small group in the San Francisco area conceived Project OSCAR, an effort to place in orbit an amateur-designed and built satellite. This official undertaking of the American Amateur Radio League (AARL) resulted in the OSCAR 1 satellite, built for a mere $63. The Museum's artifact is a full-size scale model of the spacecraft built by the members of Project OSCAR and was acquired in August 1963.