Explorer I, first U.S. orbiting satellite, contains TI transistors

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union shocked the world by launching Sputnik, a satellite weighing 183 pounds and orbiting the earth every 98 minutes. The battle for space had begun in earnest, and America was lagging far behind.

In January of 1958, America launched its answer to the Soviet Union's Sputnik with Explorer I, equipped with TI's transistors. Subsequent payloads using TI transistors would help discover the magnetic radiation belts around the earth.

Space had suddenly become a bold new frontier, and TI was helping make it possible for a nation to go where no one had dared venture before, far beyond the elliptical orbit of Sputnik.