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This topic is offered for NewMars members who might wish to document both the history and future of the famous Navy satellite that flew to space after a disastrous and embarrassing failure after the USSR launched Sputnik.
Post #3 will contain an article about the satellite, and proposals to retrieve it for study and for display.
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Post #3: Report on Idea of retrieving Vanguard
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This post is about Vanguard, and the idea of possibly retrieving it for scientific study, and for display on Earth.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolo … ticle_link
Vanguard 1 is the oldest satellite orbiting Earth. Scientists want to bring it home after 67 years
Story by Leonard David
• 4h • 4 min read
Decades ago during the heady space race rivalry between the former Soviet Union and the United States, the entire world experienced the Sputnik moment when the first artificial satellite orbited the Earth.Sputnik 1's liftoff on Oct. 4, 1957 sparked worries in the U.S., made all the more vexing by the embarrassing and humiliating failure later that year of America's first satellite launch when the U.S. Navy's Vanguard rocket went "kaputnik" as the booster toppled over and exploded.
An emotional rescue for America came via the first U.S. artificial satellite. Explorer 1 was boosted into space by the Army on Jan. 31, 1958. Nevertheless, despite setbacks, Vanguard 1 did reach orbit on March 17, 1958 as the second U.S. satellite.
And guess what? While Explorer 1 reentered Earth's atmosphere in 1970, the Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Vanguard 1 microsatellite is still up there. It just celebrated 67 years of circuiting our planet.
NRL remains the owner of the object and the developer of its technology. Vanguard 1 was the first satellite to generate power using solar cells.
Continued at link...
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Retrieving that satellite is an interesting idea. Worthy of pursuit at some level!
Not the least would be an evaluation of those materials, particularly the solar cells, after so many years exposed to space and Van Allen belt radiation. 67 years is a long time.
Does anyone have current data for the current values of its orbit? The most import would be min and max distances and the inclination. I could run the intercept orbit dV's with the orbits spreadsheet from the "orbits+" course materials.
This thing is a sphere about 2 feet to a cubit in diameter. It actually resembled Sputnik 1 in shape, although smaller in size, if memory serves. It's not that heavy, a single person could lift it.
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GW Johnson
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"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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Here is an update on the idea of retrieving Vanguard.
https://interestingengineering.com/spac … oup=test_a
This may be a look by another writer at the same news.
Earth
The satellite has now become the oldest artificial object still silently orbiting Earth.Updated: Apr 11, 2025 09:14 AM EST
Photo of the Author Mrigakshi Dixit
Mrigakshi DixitScientists to check world’s oldest satellite’s heartbeat to bring it back to Earth
Vanguard-1 satellite.NASA
In the intense early days of the space race, a small, unusual satellite was launched into space sixty-seven years ago.
Launched in March 1958 and named Vanguard-1, it was the first satellite powered by solar electric power.
While many of its contemporaries have long since succumbed to the Earth’s fiery atmosphere, Vanguard-1 lived on. The satellite has now become the oldest artificial object still silently orbiting Earth in a high elliptical orbit.
Now, a team at Virginia-based consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has a bold proposition: bring Vanguard-1 home.
“Almost 70 years later, it is still there, the oldest satellite of any nation, and one of the most precious objects in existence from the early Space Age,” the team wrote in the study paper published in the Aerospace Research Center.
The paper outlines a potential two-part mission involving rendezvous, inspection, and possible capture for study and display.
Return mission plan
In 1955, the Naval Research Laboratory came up with the idea for the microsatellite Vanguard-1. As per Gizmodo, its purpose was to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage rocket and to study the impact of the space environment on a satellite.
Despite going silent in 1964, Vanguard-1, along with its launch vehicle’s upper stage, is said to be the oldest human-made object still orbiting Earth.
The Soviet Sputniks, America’s own Explorer-1 – these early trailblazers met their end within months or years, dragged down by the relentless friction of low Earth orbit. But Vanguard-1, soaring up high in the elliptical orbit, escaped that fate.
The team suggests either nudging Vanguard-1 into a lower, more accessible orbit for a gentle capture or reeling it into the International Space Station.
This isn’t unprecedented. They point to NASA’s 1984 retrieval of the Westar 6 and Palapa B2 satellites by astronauts using Manned Maneuvering Units after they ended up in incorrect orbits due to rocket failures. These satellites were then brought back to Earth via the Space Shuttle.
But Vanguard-1 is different. Decades of exposure to the harsh realities of space mean it will require the utmost care.
The team proposes a crucial first step: sending an inspection spacecraft. It could be a preliminary mission to assess Vanguard-1’s condition – to see if it has been struck by space debris, if its structure is still sound, to get a close look at the silent sentinel before any attempt at capture.
“Vanguard 1’s current characteristics, most notably spin rate, will dictate the practicality of and approach to a capture. Mission stages include Part 1 (rendezvous, close imaging, and evaluation) and Part 2 (if practical, capture and return to Earth). These could be done by a robotic imager, followed by either a retrieval vehicle (which might be the same as the imager) or a crewed vehicle,” the team noted.
Method could help solve space debris problem
Bringing Vanguard-1 back to Earth is no small feat. Reportedly, the engineers suggest potential partnerships – perhaps with a visionary space enthusiast willing to fund this endeavor or use a SpaceX vehicle.
Once safely back on solid ground, experts will conduct an in-depth examination of the long-retired satellite. They will analyze how its materials have fared and how the vacuum and radiation have taken their toll.
According to the team’s study, the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum could display the satellite as a time capsule of spaceflight history.
Interestingly, the techniques developed to retrieve Vanguard-1 could also help clean up dangerous space debris or capture materials for on-orbit manufacturing.
“Retrieving Vanguard 1 would be a challenge, but an achievable and invaluable step forward for the entire U.S. space community,” the paper noted.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Mrigakshi Dixit Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.
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