65 years ago today, James Van Allen announced at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, the existence of radiation belts around the Earth.
These "Van Allen Belts," detected by Explorer I and III, were an unexpected scientific phenomenon: https://go.nasa.gov/3NykuQ3
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Studying the Van Allen Belts 60 Years After America’s First Spacecraft
The U.S.' first satellite in space, launched Jan. 31, 1958, heralded the emergence of space physics and ushered in a new era of technology and communications. This satellite, Explorer 1, discovered Earth's Van Allen Belts.NASA
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in reply to NASA • • •Content warning: Why did Van Allen have radioactive belts?
Sam Wade
in reply to NASA • • •