1958: Explorer 1 launched into orbit, take that Sputnik!

From what I remember reading in other books, various agencies of the US government were planning satellite launches before Sputnik scared everyone. More of the details on Explorer 1 are on the link. I’m very impressed that the gang at JPL whipped it together in three months and this initial success remained in orbit until 1970! This milestone is also important to me because it proved the existence of the Van Allen Belts which were not so lethal, thus debunking the Moon Landing Hoax crowd.