A Rocket Scientist Recalls the First U.S. Spaceflight

Spectrum: What was the mood like when Explorer was finally detected in orbit by the Pasadena tracking station?

Dannenberg: Everyone was very enthused. We had finally done what the Russians had done a little while before. And we all felt pretty good. I would also like to point out that for the von Braun rocket team, this was really very important. It was the first time we could work on a peaceful payload. You probably know that in Germany, the A-4 vehicle we built in Peenemünde, eventually called the V-2, was a military system. And even in this country, after the war, we again had to do all our efforts for the Army. This was the very first time we could really do all the work, the design and the calculations, for a peaceful project. From this, many other significant civilian developments followed, such as the establishment of NASA.

Spectrum: How did the Huntsville rocket team celebrate the first orbit?

Dannenberg: There was, of course, a big celebration. Automobiles honked their horns. There were a lot of people still out after midnight. It was a pretty late launch. The rocket team was greatly pleased.

Spectrum: What did Explorer-I do for the U.S. space program?

Dannenberg: It helped us catch up with the Russians. But more important, we did it very publicly. The Russians always shrouded their launches in secrecy. With Explorer , the entire world could see it. It was a big step ahead for American rocketry. It led to the manned space program and the flights of Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom and, eventually, years later, to the Apollo project and all that it entailed. It’s what we’re gathered here this week to remember. The daughter of Sergei Korolev, Natalia, is here right now. It’s too bad that the old man [von Braun] and Korolev aren’t here to join in the celebration. They are with us in spirit, though.

Spectrum: How should Americans today remember the launch of Explorer-I ?

Dannenberg: I’ll summarize my opinion. It was really the turning point for America’s scientists to do many more intricate and sophisticated things than just launch small satellites. It helped change the world.

[ Editor’s Note: The original intent of this report was to interview two of the von Braun team leaders at the ABMA about their recollections of Explorer-I ; however, the second participant, Ernst Stuhlinger, age 96, who unfortunately has been hospitalized recently, was unavailable for comment at this time. Please seeRemembering Sputnik: Ernst Stuhlinger, from our October 2007 issue online for more on Stuhlinger and his participation in the U.S. space program.]