The oldest satellite in the world in space for 67 years. Engineers want to return him home

An embarrassing satellite, a spray the size of the grapefruit that was launched in March 1958, and was strengthened in a high -ranking orbit. The satellite, called Vanguard-1, was a test of launch capabilities during the first days of the historical space. Other satellites have been re-introduced through the atmosphere of the Earth, as they burn in a fiery death, but Vanguard-1 is still in orbit, as it rises silently across the vacuum. A team of researchers and engineers want to recover the satellite for careful inspection and currently work to find a way to bring Vanguard-1 home.

Vanguard-1 is the second American satellite that was launched into space. It was designed by the Marine Research Laboratory in 1955, and was designed to test the possibilities of a three -stage launch vehicle and effects of the harsh space environment on the satellite. Today, the oldest artificial being around the Earth remains. A team of researchers and engineers from the Virginia Consulting Consulting Company, gathered a proposal on how to recover the satellite from space, and returned it to Earth to study how its equipment has been over the years, according to a report. Space.com. The team’s suggestion is detailed in a Ticket It was published at the Space Research Center earlier this year.

Vanguard-1 silence in 1964, but the data tracking shows its location and orbits. The satellite continued for a long time because of its location in the orbit of the Erille orbit, unlike the Soviet Sputniks and Explorer-1 in the United States, which returned to the Earth within months or years due to the atmospheric clouds in the Earth’s low orbit. If recovered, Vanguard-1 will be the oldest satellite ever to Earth.

Researchers suggest that the satellite can be placed in a lower orbit, engaging from space, or decline in the international space station. In 1984, NASA used her astronauts to capture a satellite during space using Jetpack known as a manned maneuvering unit. It ended with Westar 6 and Palapa -B2 calls in the wrong orbits after missile failures in the upper stage, and thus the Space Agency sent astronauts to restore the functional spacecraft but the functional, according to Nassa. The satellites were placed in the bay of the space shuttle and returned to Earth.

Looking at the age of Vanguard-1, astronauts will need to deal with it carefully, according to the team behind the proposal. Before trying to retrieve, the team suggests sending a spacecraft to the satellite to check its condition closely. Engineers suggested partnership with wealthy space lovers ready to finance the outer space project, or use a SpaceX vehicle to bring the satellite home.

Once it is returned to Earth, experts will check Vanguard-1 to assess her condition-whether it was hit by space wreckage, if he is still clinging together, and how her time affected orbit on the satellite. The satellite can then be placed in Smithsonian for display as a kind of time capsule, a reminder of the history of space, as the team suggests.

“Future missions (removal of space debris, pick up materials to manufacture, and even explore deep space) can build on the techniques shown in Vanguard 1,” I read the paper. “Vanguard 1 will be a challenge, but it is an invaluable and inexpensive step for the entire American space community.”