Explorer 1 is Launched

Date: January 31, 1958 A.D.
Author: James Van Allen, American Scientist

Dear Journal,
     The Juno rocket developed by Von Braun took off at 10:48 pm from Cape Canaveral. Soon it disappeared from sight and we all went to the Pentagon to wait for news. Two hours later, we erupted in celebration as we heard that Explorer had achieved orbit at 1,529 miles, much higher than Sputnik's 589 miles above the Earth. The victory by Von Braun's Army rocket team at Huntsville, Alabama will restore much need confidence in the U.S. after Sputnik. Public support will be vital to the nation's emerging space program.
     Explorer 1 also contained my cosmic ray detector that measures radiation. There are protons, electrons, and other atomic matter that radiate from the Sun. They hit Earth but life is protected by the atmosphere. I predict that radiation increases with altitude since the atmosphere thins at high altitudes, so there may be a magnetic band around Earth. Explorer 1 will help establish this theory and possibly many other predicted phenomena such as solar wind and ultraviolet radiation.