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17.03.

1958: What is the Oldest Manmade Object in Space?

1958: What is the Oldest Manmade Object in Space?
Photo Credit To https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_1#/media/File:Vanguard_1_satellite_sketch.jpg

The Vanguard 1 satellite was launched by the Americans back in 1958, precisely on this day. It is interesting that NASA did not yet exist at the time.



The oldest manmade body which is still in orbit around the Earth today is the Vanguard 1 satellite. It was launched by the Americans back in 1958, precisely on this day. According to modern calculations, it is assumed that the Vanguard 1 could be maintained in orbit for approximately 240 years, which means it will crash to Earth around the year 2198.

It is interesting that NASA did not yet exist at the time Vanguard 1 was launched. Project Vanguard was therefore a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). The Vanguard 1 satellite was actually one of the first satellites ever, since it was launched just a few months after the famous Soviet Sputnik 1 (the first satellite in history). However, Sputnik 1 crashed to Earth after only three months, while the Vanguard 1 still orbits the Earth. It is estimated that it has already circled the Earth approximately 230,000 times.

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