May 2013 Auction Ends Tuesday, May 21st, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/21/2013
Model Vanguard 1 satellite from the Navy Research Laboratory, the firm that built the satellites of Project Vanguard. Vanguard 1 was launched on 17 March 1958, shortly after the Soviet launch of Sputnik kicked off the Space Race. The United State's first successful satellite launch after Explorer, Vanguard 1 remains in orbit today, holding the record for longest-orbiting satellite made by man. Model satellite features a spherical shell, with one half made of metal and the other half rendered in clear plastic to reveal the mechanics within. Secured at the center, a clear cylinder which contains seven numbered layers of colored sponges represents the hermetically sealed mercury cell battery container and radio transmitter machinery used in the space-bound version. Wires connect the payload to six terminals on the exterior that represent the six solar cell clusters by which the satellite was powered as the first ever satellite to employ solar power. With a 22'' diameter, model satellite is much larger in scale than its counterpart in orbit, which was nicknamed by Kruschev the ''grapefruit satellite'' for its petite size. Model is mounted to a 2'' tall transparent base that contains a plaque reading in full, ''Full Scale Model / Scientific Earth Satellite / Designed and Built by Project Vanguard / US Naval Research Laboratory / Washington D.C.'' An important piece of pre-NASA space history in near fine condition. With provenance from the family of Howard Tihila, Office of International Science Activities for the National Science Board, the government agency that backed Project Vanguard.
Historic 1950's Model of The Vanguard 1 Satellite From the Navy Research Laboratory -- Large Scale Model of the Longest-Orbiting Man-Made Satellite Ever
Click above for larger image.