Explorer 6 - Launch, High-Framerate, Tracking, Results, Satellite Assembly, Thor-Able Rocket

[00:00:15]Explorer 6 carried into orbit by an Air Force Thor-Able rocket, the satellite will measure the Earth's radiation belts and magnetic field.

[00:00:25]And perhaps most impressive of all, will relay back crude pictures of the globe and its cloud cover from the vantage of outer space.

[00:00:50]The paddle wheel satellite shown before launching.

[00:00:53]The vanes jutting from the 2-ft sphere contain tiny cells to convert solar energy into power for the Explorer's battery of radio equipment and instruments.

[00:03:55]>> The launching is flawless. Man's 14th space passenger today goes into an elliptical path 150 miles from Earth at its closest, 26,000 miles out at its farthest point. The paddle wheel satellite will remain in this orbit at least a year, continually drawing electricity from the sunlight to power its unique eye in the sky, probing the mysteries of the cosmos.