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Vanguard 1
60th anniversary of solar power in space
Matthew Jeppesen
Proa Analytics
@matthewjeppesen
Silicon PV cells1954
Bell laboratories
1955
NavyAirforceArmy Signal Corps “Project Lunchbox” (solar)
Competing US designs
“the roofs of all our buildings in cities and towns equipped with solar cells would be sufficient to produce this country’s entire demand for electrical power” Dr Hans Ziegler, US Signal Corp
First satellites – Soviet
Sputnik 1Oct 1957
Sputnik 2Nov 1957
Radio transmissions
Sputnik 1 & 2
20 & 40 MHz
Chemical batteries ~ 20 days
Roy Welch, W0SLDallas NewsOct 1957
Vanguard test failure
December 1958
“Blow to US prestige”
“Kaputnik” Daily Express“Stay-Putnik” News Chronicle“Puffnik” Daily Mail
1.5 kg
16 cm diameter (76 cm antennas)
Outside and inside thermometers
2 radio transmitters108.0 MHz – battery108.3 MHz – solar
6 solar cells ~ 1 watt
Vanguard
MinitrackRadio and optical satellite trackingUS, Spain, Japan, India, Peru, Iran, Curaçao, Argentina, Australia
Feb 1958Universal newsreel
Success – Explorer 1
“SUCCESS”
Vanguard
“SOLAR UNIT FUNCTIONING”
Solar in space today
International Space Station 84 kW
CuriosityMars rover
Vanguard’s legacy
Proved suitability of solar power for space
6 years (23,000 orbits) of radio broadcasts
Improved understanding of earth shape, island locations
600 to 4,000 km altitude8 km per second
Oldest object made by humans in space
Satflare n2yoRecording (Roy Welch)
Thank youReferences and acknowledgements
C McLaughlin Green & M Lomask, Vanguard – A History, NASA, 1970
J Perlin, From space to earth: the story of solar electricity, Harvard 2002
US Naval Research Laboratory
US National Archives
New York Times archive
Susan Strange, Historian
Roy Welch, radio operator W0SL
Matthew JeppesenProa Analytics@matthewjeppesen
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