This authoritative, illustrated history chronicles the Vanguard project, which placed one of the United States' earliest successful man-made satellites into Earth orbit. In addition to analysis of the program's scientific and technical challenges, it surveys the influence of the launchings of the first Russian Sputniks and Vanguard's impact on subsequent space missions.

Table of Contents
Foreword
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction
Ch. 1: Background of Space Exploration
Ch. 2: Seeking Government Support for a Satellite Program
Ch. 3: Selecting a Satellite Plan
Ch. 4: Getting the Launch Program Started
Ch. 5: Battle over Vehicle Specifications
Ch. 6: Role of NAS and TPESP, 1955–1956
Ch. 7: Onboard Experiments and Instrumentation
Ch. 8: Creating a Home on the Range
Ch. 9: The Tracking Systems
Ch. 10: Early Test Firings
Ch. 11: From Sputnik I to TV-3
Ch. 12: Success—and After
Ch. 13: The National Academy of Sciences and the Scientific Harvest, 1957–1959
Ch. 14: The Final Accounting
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Appendixes
1. Vanguard Flight Summary
2. Explorer Flight Summary
3. IGY Satellite Launches
Index