THE SATELLITES
LANDSAT 1
STATISTICS
Launch
Rocket Used
Status
July 23rd 1972
Delta 900
Inactive
DESCRIPTION
Landsat 1 was the first satellite of the United States' Landsat program. The spacecraft orbited near the North Pole and was gathering information on many things including agricultural and forestry resources, environmental pollution and marine resources
The spacecraft was turned off on January 6, 1978, it had been in direct placement of the sun since it went up into space in 1972, it became so hot it began malfunctioning, it was switched off and now it just orbits the earth as space junk.
LUNAR ORBITER
STATISTICS
Launch
Rocket Used
Status
June 18th, 2009
Atlas V 401
Active
DESCRIPTION
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon. The purpose of the orbiter is to find good landing sites so humans in the future can safely visit the moon. The orbiter is also looking for resourches as well as finding any radiation on the moon.
The orbiter makes a 3D map of the surface of the moon, actually it was the first satellite to show images of the dark side of the moon.
The satellite is stool orbiting the moon, keeping its eye on everything so humans can one day go back to the moon.
PIONEER 1
STATISTICS
Launch
Rocket Used
Status
October 11th, 1958
Thor DM-18 Able 1
Inactive
DESCRIPTION
Pioneer 1 was a satellite that aimed to reach the moon to study the radiation around the earth and moon. During the launch there was a problem, and the rocket only led the satellite just inside earth's atmosphere where it stayed for about 48 hours. It then fell back to earth and burned up in the atmoshpere.
The mission was not a disaster though, the satellite captured some data on the radiation surrounding the earth, but not the moon.
RANGER 1
STATISTICS
Launch
Rocket Used
Status
August 23rd, 1961
Atlas LV-3 Agenda B
Inactive
DESCRIPTION
The Ranger 1 satellite was only a prototype, it was testing functions and parts so future missions were better. It was also to study particles in the space environment. Like Pioneer 1, the rocket was not able to get the satellite into earth's outer atmosphere, and after a week, the satellite came back into earth's atmosphere and burnt up.
Ranger 1 was only able to test the equipment but did not study the particles.
SURVEYOR 1
STATISTICS
Launch
Rocket Used
Status
May 30th, 1966
Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D
Inactive
DESCRIPTION
The Surveyor 1 probe's main purpose was to study the surface of the moon before The Apollo Mission, where men were to set foot on the moon. The probe successfully landed on the moon and sent back to earth thousands of images for scientistis to study.
Today, the probe can still be seen, infact, in 2009 the lunar orbiter photographed it, still in the same place as it had landed back in 1966.
VOYAGER 1
STATISTICS
Launch
Rocket Used
Status
September 7th, 1977
Titan IIIE
Inactive
DESCRIPTION
Voyager 1 was a space probe that's mission was to fly past Jupiter and Saturn, taking photo's of moons and rings as well as other planetary features.
The greatest discoveries this probe made were that Jupiter has rings, and it's moon Io has volcanoes, and the matter generated from these volcanoes is the primary source of matter in and around the Jovian planets (planets primarily made of gas.
On July 7th, 2014 it was confirmed that the probe is currently in instellar space.