Submission + - America's Space Age turn 50 thanks to JPL (msn.com)
Bryansix writes: "Today marks the 50th anniversary of America entering the Space Age. It all started when "Von Braun's team readied the Army's Juno 1 rocket, a modified Redstone ballistic missile. JPL built the satellite, which would carry scientific experiments designed under the direction of the University of Iowa's James Van Allen."
The sattelite that was launched made an important discovery for science as well. "The data returned by the satellite showed that Earth was not surrounded by a swarm of killer pebbles, as some scientists had feared. However, the cosmic-ray readings hinted at the existence of bands of radiation surrounding the planet — an unexpected result that led to the discovery of the Van Allen Belts.""
The sattelite that was launched made an important discovery for science as well. "The data returned by the satellite showed that Earth was not surrounded by a swarm of killer pebbles, as some scientists had feared. However, the cosmic-ray readings hinted at the existence of bands of radiation surrounding the planet — an unexpected result that led to the discovery of the Van Allen Belts.""
