Model of UK1 satellite
1960-1
UK1 satellite, ca. 1:50 scale model with stand and developmental cosmic ray analyser instrument (casing only) and custom-built shipping crate, each inscribed 'McMichael Radio' Ltd c. 1960/61
This unique model was made by the McMichael Radio company in association with Imperial College, London. The College supplied the cosmic ray analyser, one of the satellite's six experiments. It is likely the model was used in the course of the experiment's development and perhaps as a visual aid for detailed discussions between Imperial College and NASA. UK1, known as Ariel 1 once in orbit, was a joint US:UK project and the first international satellite to be flown. It returned data on the ionsphere and its interaction with solar atmosphere. It was partly incapacitated by a megaton nuclear atmospheric test carried out by the US in the Summer of 1962. This model was located in a Suffolk antique shop.