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60 years in orbit for ‘grapefruit satellite’ – the oldest human object in space


60 years in orbit for ‘grapefruit satellite’ – the oldest human object in space Sixty years ago, a grapefruit-sized aluminium sphere with six antennas and some tiny solar cells was launched into Earth orbit. The Vanguard 1 satellite is still up there and is the oldest human-made object in space. It’s our first piece of space archaeology. Other early satellites – such as Sputnik 1, the first satellite to leave Earth in 1957, and Explorer 1, the first US satellite – have long since re-entered the atmosphere and burnt up.   More



(Source: The Conversation AU - Mar 22)

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