Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 18, 1997

The First Explorer

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 18, 1997 is “The First Explorer,” an image. It is credited to Credit: ABMA, Courtesy JPL. The original explanation runs about 123 words.

From the explanation

“The first US spacecraft was Explorer 1 . The cylindrical 30 pound satellite was launched (above) as the fourth stage of a Jupiter-C rocket (a modified US Army Redstone ballistic missile) and achieved orbit on January 31, 1958.”

— APOD editors, May 18, 1997

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 18, 1997
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: ABMA, Courtesy JPL
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 123 words

All of May 1997 → · 1997 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Jupiter

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 18 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 18, 1997 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1997-may-18-the-first-explorer

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.