Key Takeaways:
- Explorer 6, launched August 7, 1959, from Cape Canaveral, had a primary mission to investigate Earth's magnetic fields, radiation, cosmic rays, geomagnetism, and micrometeorites.
- The satellite incorporated a photocell scanner designed to image Earth's cloud cover.
- Despite operating at reduced power (63% capacity due to a solar cell malfunction), Explorer 6 successfully orbited Earth and conducted comprehensive surveys of the Van Allen belts and the geomagnetic field.
- On August 14, 1959, Explorer 6 transmitted the first-ever satellite photograph of Earth, a blurry image of the Pacific Ocean, paving the way for subsequent Earth imaging missions; the satellite ceased functioning on October 6, 1959.
NASA’s Explorer 6 satellite was launched Aug. 7, 1959, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft’s mission was to study Earth’s magnetic fields and radiation, as well as cosmic rays, geomagnetism, and micrometeorites. It also carried a photocell scanner, an instrument intended to photograph Earth’s cloud cover. A complication with one of its solar cells left Explorer 6 functioning at only 63% power, but it still achieved obit around the Earth and completed comprehensive surveys of the Van Allen radiation belts and the Earth’s geomagnetic field. And, on Aug. 14, 1959, Explorer 6 captured the first photograph of Earth by a satellite. While it was blurry and crude, the image of the Pacific Ocean laid the groundwork for future missions. Explorer 6 functioned for two months before its power failed on Oct. 6.
