Vanguard I satellite marks 50 years in orbit

It may not have been the first, but Vanguard I does have the distinction of being the oldest satellite still in orbit, and it's now set to mark its 50th anniversary on March 17th. It can lay claim to being the very first solar-powered satellite, however, and it has no shortage of accomplishments under its belt, including returning information on air density, temperature ranges and micrometeorite impact, and maintaining an orbit so stable that cartographers were able to draw more accurate maps of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Even now, researchers rely on ground-based tracking of the satellite to provide data on the effects of the sun, moon, and atmosphere on satellite orbits. And, of course, as you can see above, it was also way ahead of this whole steampunk thing..

[Image courtesy of NASA/NSSDC]

[webon @ Mar 14th 2008 11:52AM]

Danger Will Robinson! Danger!

[happy_penguin @ Mar 14th 2008 11:55AM]

Sometimes the reliability of low tech is a good thing. Very impressive.

[Blackstar @ Mar 14th 2008 12:02PM]

Very cool. The Aliens left this one alone.

[Heath Stahl @ Mar 14th 2008 12:02PM]

Based on that picture I'm guessing NASA's definition of orbit includes "hanging from a string in somebody's back yard."

[Simon P @ Mar 14th 2008 12:21PM]

yup, that sure is a low orbit. good call. must be thousands of folk around the world getting sick of ducking for this thing.

[CharlieX @ Mar 14th 2008 12:02PM]

mini-V.I.N.C.E.N.T.

[Ellianth @ Mar 14th 2008 12:21PM]

50 years working in a hazardous environment? In 10 years it's gonna have a big fat pension!

[Tracy in Cary @ Mar 14th 2008 12:21PM]

Awww! What a cute little baby death star!

It's a terrible shame the way they were hunted to near extinction a long, long time ago.

Let's hope this one can live to adulthood and returned to the wild.

[KidDooc @ Mar 14th 2008 12:30PM]

I think the moon, a sattelite of the Earth is much older than 50 years, and the Earth, a sattelite of the sun, is much, much older.

KidDoc

[Andrew @ Mar 14th 2008 12:38PM]

"The first solar-powered satellite, Vanguard I has the distinction of being the oldest artificial satellite orbiting the earth."

[Andrew @ Mar 14th 2008 12:39PM]

emphasis on artificial

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 14th 2008 1:04PM]

He's right. The moon and sun are actually artificial unbeknownst to you.

They were built by the forerunners who, actually, also setup ancient ring-worlds through the universe which explode with a radius of 10,000 light years killing all sentient life-forms.

[KidDooc @ Mar 14th 2008 1:35PM]

Somewhere else it may say "artificial." Here, the post simply said "sattelite." I just think the poor moon gets an unfair shake.

[Rainier @ Mar 14th 2008 12:59PM]

With the blast shield down I can't even see! How am I supposed to fight?

[tiuk @ Mar 14th 2008 3:22PM]

Anyone ever wonder what the purpose of the blast shield is, if you can't see through it?

[kal326 @ Mar 14th 2008 2:28PM]

Yeah, but I bet it can't play Doom and lets face it who would want to be stuck in orbit for 50 years without a little bit of frag'n now and again?

[Chris in CA @ Mar 14th 2008 2:45PM]

Let's shoot this one down next- of course it will miss and hit another one of those Afghani Cell Towers

[RC @ Mar 14th 2008 2:50PM]

I thought it also helped discover the Van Allen belts, or am I thinking of a different one?

[murray @ Mar 14th 2008 3:16PM]

Why does this image look like a still from Plan 9 From Outer Space (except in color)?

[YoMomma @ Mar 14th 2008 4:20PM]

will it blend?
that is the question.
*put the thing into the blender*
Smoothie
*blender noise*
*open the lid*
don't breath this
*pour the remainings "ashes" into the table

Yes it blends. woohoo