September 7, 2021
Today in 1914, James A. Van Allen was born. An American astrophysicist, his experiment carried aboard the first American satellite established the existence of radiation belts that encircle the Earth. A full biography of James Van Allen may be found here.
This early schematic of the Van Allen Belts’ structure was created after the first American satellite discovered their existence in 1958. Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA’s Langley Research Center