Reentry Capsule, Satellite, Discoverer XIII

Object Details

Summary: This is the Discoverer XIII reentry capsule which, along with the capsule cover and parachute, was recovered north of Hawaii by the U.S. Navy on August 11, 1960, the first man-made object to be recovered from orbit. The Discoverer XIII satellite had been launched the previous day from Vandenberg AFB. "Discoverer" was the cover name for the highly classified U.S. Air Force/Central Intelligence Agency Corona photoreconnaissance satellite program. The Discoverer XIII satellite did not carry cameras or film, and the capsule contained only diagnostic instruments. Corona satellites, however, carried cameras and film beginning with Discoverer XIV one week later. By the end of the Corona program in May 1972, over 120 Corona satellites had successfully flown and photographed the Soviet Union, China, and other nations. The capsule was made by General Electric and donated by the U.S. Air Force to NASM in 1960.
Alternate Name: Discoverer 13
Key Accomplishment(s): First Man-made Object Recovered from Orbit
Impact or Innovation: "The Discoverer satellite program began an age of spying from space that continues to this day."
Brief Description: This capsule was recovered from orbit after reentry into the Earth's atmosphere on August 11, 1960. Its success inaugurated a top-secret program of reconnaissance from space, giving the U.S. key information about the Soviet Union's military capabilities during the Cold War.

Materials: Capsule is aluminum (w/gold plating); instrumentation inside capsule is magnesium and other metals; wiring inside capsule is metal and plastic
Dimensions: Other: 73.7 × 47cm, 136.1kg (2 ft. 5 in. × 1 ft. 6 1/2 in., 300lb.)

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv98931b432-01f7-4a90-a6bd-a4227b8b9bb2