Discoverer 13 was a US reconnaissance satellite launched on 10 Aug 1960 at 20:37:54 GMT. The last of five test flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series, it was the first fully successful flight in the Discoverer series. On 11 Aug, after 17 orbits, the satellite's reentry capsule was recovered in the Pacific Ocean by the Haiti Victory. Its payload, an American flag, was presented to President Eisenhower four days later.
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| Discoverer 13 launch cover with Goldey cachet, postmarked at Vandenberg AFB on August 10, 1960. |
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| Photo: The Discoverer 13 satellite did not carry cameras or film, and its capsule contained only diagnostic instruments. This Discoverer 13 capsule was the first human-made object recovered from space and also the first successful ocean recovery of a spacecraft. |
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| Discoverer 13 launch cover with H.Flick cachet, postmarked at Vandenberg AFB on August 10, 1960. |
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| Discoverer 13 recovery cover with Goldey cachet, postmarked at Vandenberg AFB on August 11, 1960. |
(Reference from
Discoverer 13)
