Mark Schuler (American, B. 1951) "First Man-Made Satellite 1957" Signed lower left. Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This artwork was originally published on the Republic of the Marshall Islands 45c First Man-Made Satellite stamp issued November 24, 1989.

By the early 1950s, rockets were widely employed in studying the upper atmosphere. Scientists realized, however, that artificial satellites could perform the same duties much more efficiently. On July 29, 1955, President Eisenhower announced that the United States planned to launch "small unmanned earth-circling satellites." On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union became the world's first nation to successfully launch an artificial satellite --Sputnik 1. On January 31, 1958, the U.S. launched Explorer 1, the first American space satellite. Explorer 1 discovered Earth was surrounded by ionized particles of energy. On March 17, 1958, the U.S. orbited Vanguard I, which demonstrated that Earth is almost imperceptibly pear-shaped with a slight bulge in the Southern Hemisphere. On October 1, 1958, the U.S. established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to manage the country's fledgling space program. On February 17, 1959, NASA launched Vanguard II, which was designed to provide information about Earth's cloud cover. Vanguard III followed several months later and was used to map Earth's magnetic field. The birth of the Space Age provided mankind with new insights into the mysterious universe and our place in it.

Image Size: 12 x 12 in.
Overall Size: 20 x 20 in.
Unframed.
(B12235)

- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.

- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via wire transfer or cashier’s check, no other forms of payment will be accepted.

- All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.

- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com

- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through 6 online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.

- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be out bid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.

20 x 20 in