Timeline event · 31 January 1958 · Dawn of the Space Age
Explorer 1 and the Van Allen Belts
The first successful United States satellite, Explorer 1, carries a Geiger counter that discovers the belts of trapped radiation now named for James Van Allen.
Highlights
- ›First US satellite; discovered the radiation belts
Missions, people & worlds
Knowledge connections
- Part ofDawn of the Space Age
- Associated withNASA
- Associated withVan Allen Radiation Belts
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.