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Battery, Reentry Capsule, Datasphere

National Air and Space Museum

Object Details

Summary
This is the battery used to furnish power in the Datasphere, the first instrumented package to be recovered from space by the United States. Launched by a U.S. Air Force Thor ballistic missile on 13 June 1958 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, it recorded information such as temperatures, pressures, and stresses critical to progress in the nation's spaceflight programs. The Datasphere reached an altitude of over 200 miles, reentered the atmosphere at more than 10,000 miles an hour, and was recovered intact in the South Atlantic. The manufacturer of this battery is unknown. It was donated by the Air Force to NASM in 1959.
Credit Line
Transferred from the United States Air Force
Inventory Number
A19590105000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed-Electrical Power
Materials
Steel, stainless steel, resin, rubber
Dimensions
3-D: 12.7 x 8.9 x 5.1cm (5 x 3 1/2 x 2 in.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
National Air and Space Museum
Record ID
nasm_A19590105000
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv98212291b-6ef8-45bf-b829-0fc72e58939c

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