00:00On this day in space. In 1962, NASA launched the Explorer 16 spacecraft to
00:07study micrometeoroids near Earth. The mission would determine how likely it
00:11would be for a spacecraft to get damaged by the small space rocks and dust
00:14particles around the Earth. The cylindrical spacecraft measured about
00:17six feet long and two feet in diameter. It carried instruments that could detect
00:21when meteoroids hit the spacecraft and assess the resulting damage. Data from
00:26this mission helped scientists determine the size, number, distribution, and
00:29momentum of dust particles in the near-Earth environment. And that's what
00:33happened on this day in space.
Comments