1962-10-03 USA Explorer 14

A Sarzin Explorer 14 launch cover, postmarked at Cape Canaveral on October 3, 1962.

Explorer 14, launched on October 3, 1962, was designed to investigate solar wind and radiation phenomena. Its instruments comprised a cosmic ray detector, an ion electron detector, a solar cell measurer, a proton analyser and a trapped particle radiation experiment. It carried an experiment to measure the rate at which radiation degraded solar power cells, while its own solar cells were covered with 60mm glass for protection.

(Reference from Discovering the Cosmos with Small Spacecraft: The American Explorer Program By Brian Harvey)