The Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into space. The satellite was launched in 1957 and was called Sputnik 1. NASA has launched many satellites into space. The first was Explorer 1 in 1958. Explorer was America's first man-made satellite. The first satellite picture of Earth came from NASA's Explorer 6 in 1959. How Does NASA Use Satellites? NASA satellites help scientists study all kinds of things. Satellites provide information about Earth's clouds, oceans, land and air. They also can observe wildfires, volcanoes and smoke. All this information helps scientists predict weather and climate. It helps farmers know what crops to plant. It helps control the spread of disease. And it helps with response to emergencies. Satellites also tell us a lot about space. Some watch for dangerous rays coming from the sun. Some explore stars, planets, asteroids and comets. This article is part of the series. February 8, 2017
The Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into space. The satellite was launched in 1957 and was called Sputnik 1. NASA has launched many satellites into space. The first was Explorer 1 in 1958. Explorer was America's first man-made satellite. The first satellite picture of Earth came from NASA's Explorer 6 in 1959. How Does NASA Use Satellites? NASA satellites help scientists study all kinds of things. Satellites provide information about Earth's clouds, oceans, land and air. They also can observe wildfires, volcanoes and smoke. All this information helps scientists predict weather and climate. It helps farmers know what crops to plant. It helps control the spread of disease. And it helps with response to emergencies. Satellites also tell us a lot about space. Some watch for dangerous rays coming from the sun. Some explore stars, planets, asteroids and comets. This article is part of the series. February 8, 2017