Explorer XXXIII

The visitor center displays an engineering test unit of the Explorer XXXIII satellite. Explorer XXXIII was intended to be placed into lunar orbit, but the second stage of its launch vehicle accelerated too rapidly, placing the payload into a highly elongated Earth orbit, with its apogee beyond the moon's orbit.

Explorer XXXIII went on to return data on the Earth's magnetic tail. Goddard Space Flight Center supported the mission.

For a short summary of the Explorer III mission, see the NASA Solar System Exploration In Depth: Explorer 33 page. For more detailed information, see Interim Flight Report, Anchored Interplanetary Monitoring Platform AIMP I - Explorer XXXIII.