Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) Jupiter C and Explorer I model with stand, Dr. Wernher Von Braun, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) provenance. 1st item: Jupiter C model rocket, comprised of painted metal with black letter stickers reading "ABMA JPL", "JUPITER-C", and "US ARMY" to body. 16 7/8" H. 2nd item: Explorer I model satellite, comprised of gilt metal and secured to a metal stand attached to a wooden base. Base with gilt metal placard reading "Explorer I U.S. ARMY" and metal peg for 1st item. Satellite - 5 1/2" L. Stand - 5 3/4" H x 6 1/8" W x 6 1/4" D. Mid 20th century. Provenance: Private Southeast Tennessee collection. Purchased by the consignor from the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Huntsville, Alabama, during a deaccession sale. Both models with the stand can be seen in a photograph of Dr. Wernher Von Braun in his office at Marshall Space Flight Center, circa 1962 (copy of the photograph included with this lot). Note: Explorer-I, officially known as Satellite 1958 Alpha, was the first United States earth satellite and was sent aloft as part of the United States program for the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958. It was designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology under the direction of Dr. William H. Pickering. The satellite instrumentation of Explorer-I was designed and built by Dr. James Van Allen of the State University of Iowa. The satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral (now Cape Kennedy) in Florida at 10:48 P.M. EST on 31 January 1958 by the Jupiter-C vehicle--a special modification of the Redstone ballistic missile--that was designed, built, and launched by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) under the direction of Dr. Wernher Von Braun. Jupiter-C, a direct descendant of the German A-4 (V-2) rocket, was originally developed in 1955-1956 as a high-performance rocket for testing purposes. The Jupiter-C has its origins in the United States Army's Project Orbiter in 1954. The project was canceled in 1955, however when the decision was made to proceed with Project Vanguard. (source: https://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/expinfo.html).