In November 1957 the Soviet Union launched a second Sputnik, much larger and heavier than the first. America's first success in space came on January 31, 1958, when Explorer 1 was launched aboard an Army Jupiter-C missile. In February a second U.S. attempt to launch a Vanguard satellite failed.

The American media and Congress demanded to know how the Soviets had beaten the United States into space. One response by the Eisenhower administration and Congress was to establish the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

JUPITER-C

The Jupiter-C launched America's first satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958. Designed by the von Braun team and built by the Army, the Jupiter-C was a modified Redstone ballistic missile with three added stages. Its liquid-propellant main-stage engine derived from the Navaho missile program. The upper stages used solid propellants.

The Jupiter-C displayed in the Museum is a full-scale model with a replica of Explorer 1 on top.

Transferred from the U.S. Army