Home » Health » NASA Launches Explorer 16: World’s First Mission to Study Micrometeoroid Collisions Near Earth

NASA Launches Explorer 16: World’s First Mission to Study Micrometeoroid Collisions Near Earth

SPACE — On December 16, 1962, the American Space Agency or NASA launched the Explorer 16 spacecraft. It was the world’s first mission to study the impact of micrometeoroid collisions near Earth.

In the future, the mission will determine how likely the spacecraft could be damaged by small space rocks and dust particles around Earth. The cylindrical spacecraft measures about 6 feet long and 2 feet in diameter.

The craft carries instruments that can detect when a meteoroid hits the spacecraft and immediately assess the damage it causes. This means that Explorer 16 was indeed made a martyr in space.

Data from the mission helps scientists determine the size, number, distribution and momentum of dust particles in the near-Earth environment. Source: Space.com

2023-12-16 16:47:00
#Todays #History #NASA #Launches #Explorer #Mission #Encounter #Meteoroids #Space #Space

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