Scientist of the Day - Vanguard 1
An early mock-up or replica of Vanguard 1, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (airandspace.si.edu)
Vanguard 1, the second successful satellite placed in orbit by the United States, was launched on Mar. 17, 1958, and inserted into Earth orbit that same day. It was preceded by Explorer 1, launched 6 weeks earlier, on Feb. 1. Both were preceded by the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1, launched Oct. 4, 1957, and Sputnik 2, a month later, so Vanguard 1 was the fourth man-made satellite in Earth orbit. But unlike the others, Vanguard 1 is still there, making it the oldest satellite in orbit. Since it is no longer functional, it is also the oldest piece of space junk in Earth orbit.
Vanguard 1 on the launch pad, looking like a miniature Chicago “Bean,” undated photograph in Vanguard I: Proposal, Installation, Launch and Selected Results: Launched March 17, 1958, by Roger Easton and Martin Votaw, Nov. 2006 (Linda Hall Library)
Vanguard 1 was (is) about the size of a large grapefruit, with 6 short antennae protruding from the shiny aluminum spherical shell, and weighed just over 3 pounds. Inside were 2 radio transmitters, one hooked up to a battery (included), the other to 6 small solar cells on the outside of the sphere. The idea for a solar-powered transmitter came from Roger Easton, Sr., who co-wrote the original proposal for the Vanguard program back in 1955, on behalf of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in response to a government request that the U.S. launch a satellite during the International Geophysical Year, 1957-58. Surprisingly, the NRL proposal was selected by the Eisenhower administration over the U.S. Army proposal, written by Wernher von Braun. Easton later learned that small solar cells had recently been developed by Bell Labs, and he wrote a follow-up proposal, suggesting that a solar-cell-powered transmitter be added to the satellite. His request was approved, which turned out to be a wise decision.
Vanguard 1 being installed on the tip of TV-4, Cape Canaveral, with Roger Easton Sr., second from left, undated photograph in Vanguard I: Proposal, Installation, Launch and Selected Results: Launched March 17, 1958, by Roger Easton and Martin Votaw, Nov. 2006 (Linda Hall Library)
Vanguard was injected into an orbit that was 400 miles above the Earth’s surface at its closest (apogee), and 2400 miles away at its furthest (perigee). It turned out to be an exceptionally stable orbit. The success of Vanguard 1 was by no means preordained, as its two predecessors, Vanguard TV-3 and TV-3BU, had both failed miserably, TV-3 spectacularly so, as it exploded on Dec. 6, 1957. without ever getting off the launch pad (Vanguard’s launch designation was TV-4; it only became Vanguard 1 when it was successfully in orbit). Vanguard TV-1 and TV-2 had both gone well, but they were simply sub-orbital tests of rocket stages 1 and 2 of the 3-stage rocket system. TV stands for Test Vehicle. A short newsreel of the launch of Vanguard 1 can be seen here.
TV-4 3-stage rocket, with Vanguard 1 beneath the nose cone, just prior to launch at Cape Canaveral, undated photograph in Vanguard I: Proposal, Installation, Launch and Selected Results: Launched March 17, 1958, by Roger Easton and Martin Votaw, Nov. 2006 (Linda Hall Library)
Vanguard 1's mission was twofold; first, to go into orbit, and then to send out radio signals to test the network of receivers, called Minitrack, that had been set up earlier, just in time to track the two Sputniks when they unexpectedly started beeping from orbit. The signals would also be used for geodetic purposes, to pinpoint more precisely locations on Earth that could not easily be measured otherwise. The battery-powered transmitter ran out of juice in just a month (as expected), but the solar-powered signal kept going for 6 years, so it was a good thing that Easton heard about the new solar cells and communicated his afterthought to his boss.
Roger Easton, Sr. (center) with Scott Curtis and Eric Ward of the Linda Hall Library; Mr. Ward holds a life-size replica of Vanguard 1; photograph, Sep. 6, 2007 (Linda Hall Library)
There have been many books on the Vanguard program, but one that we have in our library is unusual. It is called: Vanguard 1: Proposal, Installation, Launch, and Selected Results. It was put together and privately printed by Roger Easton and his colleague at NRL, Martin Votaw. Our copy is further subtitled: Latest revision Nov. 2006. My guess is that Easton went on a lecture tour after he received the National Medal of Technology from President Bush in Feb. 2006 and he left these behind at his speaking locations. He spoke here in the Fall of 2007 – I heard his talk (fifth image) – and gave us the latest version. These may be common or they may be scarce, but since we are a Library, ours is catalogued and available for readers.
Front cover and title page, Vanguard I: Proposal, Installation, Launch and Selected Results: Launched March 17, 1958, by Roger Easton and Martin Votaw, Nov. 2006 (Linda Hall Library)
Easton’s Vanguard 1 is a very useful compilation, as it contains a reprint of the initial Vanguard proposal written by Easton and Votaw in 1955, as well as, unexpectedly, von Braun’s rejected proposal of 1954 for an Army-Ordnance-Corps-launched satellite. The best feature of the book is the inclusion of dozens of large photographs of Vanguard 1 and its launch vehicle, several of which we show here. There is also a color photo of Easton receiving his medal at the White House, but since the award was not for Vanguard, but for Easton's role in inventing GPS, we will save that photo for the day we celebrate the development of the Global Positioning System. Filmmaker George Lucas, who is also in that photograph receiving his medal, will just have to wait his turn.
William B. Ashworth, Jr., Consultant for the History of Science, Linda Hall Library and Associate Professor emeritus, Department of History, University of Missouri-Kansas City. Comments or corrections are welcome; please direct to ashworthw@umkc.edu.
