| .....Explorer
1 was the first successfully launched U.
S. spacecraft. Launched late on 31
January 1958 (10:48 p.m. EST, or 03:48
UTC on 01 February) on an adapted Jupiter-C
rocket, Explorer 1 carried
instrumentation for the study of cosmic
rays, micrometeorites, and for monitoring
of the satellite's temperature. .....The Jupiter-C
launch vehicle consisted of four
propulsive stages. The first stage was an
upgraded Redstone liquid-fueled rocket.
The second, third, and fourth stage
rockets consisted of eleven, three, and
one (respectively) Sergeant motors. The
satellite itself was the fourth stage of
the Jupiter-C rocket. It was cylindrical,
2.03 m long and 0.152 m in diameter. Four
whip antennas were mounted symmetrically
about the mid-section of the rocket. The
spacecraft was spin stabilized.
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