This is the 142 pound satellite, shown with its four solar vanes extended, which was carried aloft today by a Thor-Able rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The solar vanes which give the satellite its name are designed to pop out from the sides in space to convert the sun's rays into electrical energy for the enclosed radio transmitter batteries, creating the satellite's own power for transmitting information back to earth. The instrument-packed satellite will become a flying laboratory to explore the mysteries of space if it orbits the earth.
Photo measures 10 x 8.25 inches.
Photo is dated 08-7-1959.
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