10:48 p.m. Jan. 31, 1958

[Boomerang]

This time of year we all remember the three disasters in America's space program but we forget to take time out to remember one great triumph that also occurred this week in history.

Three months After Sputnik 1 shocked the world and still 9 months before the creation of NASA on this date 50 years ago in 1958 America launched Exploraer 1. A modified Redstone rocket called a Jupiter-C lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:48 P.M. carrying america's fisrst sattelite. Aproximately 90 minutes later after completing one orbit the first signal was recieved by ground tracking stations confirming that it was in orbit. As Wherner VonBraun said "There was dancing here in the streets of huntsville when we orbited America's first sattelite..." Though we were still behind the Russians in many ways this one event put America into Space and we were there to stay. So remember that this week as you remember the tragedies remember this one victory.