Transit Research and Attitude Control
The Transit Research and Attitude Control (TRAAC) satellite was launched by the US Navy from Cape Kennedy along with Transit 4B on November 15, 1961. The 109 kg satellite was used to test the feasibility of using the Earth's gravitational attraction to orient and stabilize a vehicle in space. It is expected to orbit for 800 years at an altitude of about 950 km (600 mi).
The first poem to be launched into orbit about the Earth was inscribed on the instrument panel of TRAAC. Entitled Space Prober and written by Prof. Thomas G. Bergin of Yale University, it reads in part:
- And now 'tis man who dares assault the sky...
- And as we come to claim our promised place, aim only to repay the good you gave,
- And warm with human love the chill of space.