Vanguard 1 launched in March 1958, the fourth satellite ever. It weighed about 1.5 kg, and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev mocked it as 'the grapefruit satellite'. But it was the first satellite powered by solar cells, and its signals helped scientists measure the true shape of the Earth.
Its radio went quiet in 1964, but it's still orbiting, older than almost everything that has been launched since. Scientists expect it to stay up for around 240 years in total.
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We made all 240 of these, in English and Indonesian, from one script each. We make story series for brands, schools and channels.
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0:53 the comet Mark Twain predicted his own death with a comet ← All stories Next story: A pebble's 10,000-year journey from mountain to sea →