Public Invited to Celebrate Anniversary of Explorer 1

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

DC Agle 818-393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
agle@jpl.nasa.gov

NEWS RELEASE: 2008-008 Jan. 17, 2008

Public Invited to Celebrate Anniversary of Explorer 1

A half-century ago, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Explorer 1 spacecraft became
America's first Earth-orbiting satellite when it sailed into space on Jan. 31, 1958. In
honor of the historic achievement that launched the United States into the space age, JPL
and Caltech invite the public to the premiere of a new documentary chronicling the story
of Explorer 1. The screenings are a special presentation of Caltech's Voice and Vision
series and JPL's Theodore von Karman lecture series.

Following the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in October 1957, and with the explosion
of the U.S. Vanguard rocket just weeks later, the White House turned to JPL and the U.S.
Army Ballistic Missile Agency to launch a satellite as quickly as possible. JPL designed
and built the satellite, the upper stages of the rocket, and a tracking system while the
Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., produced the liquid-filled rocket. The
successful launch of Explorer 1, followed by the formation of NASA in Oct. 1958,
transformed JPL from a producer of ballistic missiles to a preeminent center for robotic
exploration of our solar system and beyond.

The new documentary, "JPL and the Beginnings of the Space Age" charts that
transformation. The 55-minute film was produced by Blaine Baggett, JPL's executive
manager for communications and education. Baggett will appear in person to discuss the
film on Jan. 25. JPL historian Erik Conway will appear at the Jan. 25 screening.

Thursday, Jan. 24
Location: Beckman Auditorium, California Institute of Technology campus
on Michigan Avenue, one block south of Del Mar Blvd, Pasadena
Time: 8 p.m.
Admission: Free

Friday, Jan. 25
Location: Pasadena City College, Vosloh Auditorium
1570 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena
Time: 7 p.m.
Admission: Free

"Explorer 1: JPL and the Beginnings of the Space Age" will also air on local and national
media outlets. In the Los Angeles area, it will air on KCET, Channel 28, on
Saturday, Feb. 2 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. The documentary will air
nationally on Discovery HD Theater, with multiple airings beginning Jan. 31.

Saturday, Jan. 26 and Sunday, Jan. 27
Educator Conference
JPL will host a two-day educators' conference on Explorer 1 and the history of space
flight. Science and social studies educators, museum staff and high school students are
invited to attend. Students must register and an adult must accompany youths under 18.
Details on the conference can be found at

http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/events/space20071009.html

Monday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Feb. 3
Ham Radio Operators Dial In Explorer 1 Celebration
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Explorer 1, the JPL Amateur Radio Club will be on
the air from 8 a.m. PST on Monday Jan. 28, through 8 p.m. PST on Sunday Feb. 3. A
commemorative Explorer 1 QSL card is available to those ham operators who make
contact with the station. For further information see JPL's Explorer 1 Events page at:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/explorer/media/ .

JPL's Explorer 1 was the beginning of a half-century of unprecedented exploration. JPL
currently manages for NASA 19 spacecraft and six instruments. Four spacecraft are
exploring Mars, and that number will increase by one when the Phoenix lander touches
down near the Martian north pole on May 25. Other JPL missions and instruments are
studying Earth and our oceans; making their way to a rendezvous with a comet; probing
deep into the heart of the asteroid belt; exploring Saturn, its moons and rings; and peering
into the distant universe to study stars, galaxies and planets beyond our sun. Caltech
manages JPL for NASA.

For more information about JPL's Explorer 1 mission on the Internet, visit

www.jpl.nasa.gov/explorer.

The site includes a history on the mission as well as links to
archival images and video, and animations.

For more information about JPL on the Internet, visit www.jpl.nasa.gov . For information
about NASA programs, visit www.nasa.gov .

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