vanguard

vanguard
/van"gahrd'/, n.
1. the foremost division or the front part of an army; advance guard; van.
2. the forefront in any movement, field, activity, or the like.
3. the leaders of any intellectual or political movement.
4. (cap.) Rocketry. a U.S. three-stage, satellite-launching rocket, the first two stages powered by liquid-propellant engines and the third by a solid-propellant engine.
[1480-90; earlier van(d)gard(e) < MF avangarde, var. of AVANT-GARDE; see AVAUNT, GUARD]

* * *

Any of three unmanned U.S. experimental satellites.

Vanguard I (1958), the second U.S. satellite placed in orbit around Earth (after Explorer 1), was a tiny 3.25-lb (1.47-kg) sphere with two radio transmitters. Its flight path revealed that Earth is almost imperceptibly pear-shaped, confirming earlier theories. Vanguard II (1959) carried light-sensitive photocells to provide information about Earth's cloud cover, but its tumbling motion rendered the data unreadable. Vanguard III (1959) was used to map Earth's magnetic field.

* * *

      any of a series of unmanned U.S. experimental test satellites. Vanguard I, launched March 17, 1958, consisted of a tiny 3.25-pound (1.47-kilogram) sphere equipped with two radio transmitters. It was the second artificial satellite placed in orbit around the Earth by the United States, the first being Explorer 1 (Jan. 31, 1958). By monitoring Vanguard's flight path, scientists found that the Earth was almost imperceptibly pear-shaped, in confirmation of earlier theories. Vanguard II, orbited on Feb. 17, 1959, carried light-sensitive photocells that were designed to provide information about the Earth's cloud cover, but the tumbling motion of the satellite rendered the data unreadable. Vanguard III, the last in the series, was launched several months later. It was used to map the Earth's magnetic field.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Vanguard — bedeutet so viel wie „Vortrupp“ und steht für: Schiffe, U Boote und Flugzeuge HMS Vanguard, Name von mindestens zehn Kriegsschiffen der britischen Royal Navy Vanguard Klasse (1835), Name einer Linienschiffsklasse der Royal Navy Vanguard Klasse… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Vanguard 1 — Caractéristiques Organisation Department of the Navy, États Uni …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Vanguard 2 — Vanguard SLV 4 Vanguard 2 Caractéristiques Organisation Department of the Navy, États Unis Domaine Observation terrestre Masse 10,8 kg …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Vanguard 1 — Vanguard Rakete auf der Startrampe LC 18 in Cape Canaveral, Florida Vanguard war der Name eines Projekts, das als Vorbereitung auf das Internationale Geophysikalische Jahr initiiert wurde, um einen Satelliten in die Erdumlaufbahn zu bringen. In… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Vanguard I — Vanguard Rakete auf der Startrampe LC 18 in Cape Canaveral, Florida Vanguard war der Name eines Projekts, das als Vorbereitung auf das Internationale Geophysikalische Jahr initiiert wurde, um einen Satelliten in die Erdumlaufbahn zu bringen. In… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Vanguard — может означать: Vanguard Group Американская инвестиционная компания Vanguard Финская готик метал группа Vanguard 1 Искусственный спутник Земли Vanguard Тип британских подводных лодок Argo Vanguard 6х6 Вездеход HMS Vanguard (23) Британский линкор… …   Википедия

  • Vanguard II — Éditeur SNK Développeur SNK Date de sortie Mars 1984 Genre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Vanguard 2 — or Vanguard II was an earth orbiting satellite launched 1959 02 17 by the Vanguard SLV 4 launch vehicle as part of Project Vanguard. [cite web | url = http://history.nasa.gov/SP 4202/chap12.html | title = VANGUARD A HISTORY, CHAPTER 12, SUCCESS… …   Wikipedia

  • Vanguard 3 — or Vanguard III was launched by a Vanguard rocket on Sep. 18, 1959, the third successful Vanguard launch out of eleven attempts. Mission ObjectivesThe satellite was launched from the Eastern Test Range into a geocentric orbit. The objectives of… …   Wikipedia

  • vanguard — van‧guard [ˈvængɑːd ǁ gɑːrd] noun be in/​at the vanguard (of something) to be the most advanced or developed business, person etc in a particular area of work: • The prototype was in the vanguard of technical development …   Financial and business terms

  • Vanguard — Van guard , n. [For vantguard, avantguard, F. avant garde; avant before, fore + garde guard. See {Avant}, {Ab },{Ante }, and {Guard}, and cf. {Advance}, {Vamp}, {Van} of an army, {Vaward}.] (Mil.) The troops who march in front of an army; the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”