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| An Explorer 6 launch cover from "Goldcraft", postmarked at Port Canaveral with a hand cancel on August 7, 1959. |
Explorer 6 was a NASA satellite launched on August 7, 1959, at 14:24:20 GMT. This small, spherical satellite was designed to investigate trapped radiation of different energies, galactic cosmic rays, geomagnetism, radio propagation in the upper atmosphere, and the flux of micrometeorites. Additionally, it tested a scanning device intended for capturing images of the Earth's cloud cover. On August 14, 1959, Explorer 6 captured the first photographs of Earth from a satellite.
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| An Explorer 6 launch cover postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base with a machine cancel on August 7, 1959. |
(Reference from
Explorer 6)
