SPUTNIK: OCTOBER 4, 1957
Sputnik 1 (meaning “fellow traveler”) was the world’s first artificial satellite and
was launched by Russia on October 4, 1957. The shiny aluminum satellite
weighed 184 pounds and was 23 inches in diameter. Sputnik orbited the earth
every 90 minutes. A replica of Sputnik hangs in the National Air and Space
Museum in Washington, D.C. as shown below:
The launch of Sputnik caught the United States off guard as it had recently
experienced two Project Vanguard launch failures. The U.S. responded a few
months later with the successful launch of Explorer 1 on February 1, 1958.
The launch of Sputnik initiated the creation of NASA (National Administration for
Space and Aeronautics), a MAJOR push for math/science education and the
“Space Race” which ended with the United States being the first (and only!)
country to land astronauts on the moon on July 20, 1969.