Sputnik, an unmanned Soviet satellite, orbited the earth in 1957, shocking the world and starting the space and arms race. The beach ball-sized satellite broadcast a monotonous beep and continued to orbit until January 1958. The US was taken aback by the Soviet’s advanced status in space, and Sputnik greatly increased the fear of nuclear war. The Soviet’s continued to advance in space with Sputnik II and Sputnik III.
Sputnik, which means “earth’s companion” in Russian, was an unmanned Soviet satellite that orbited the earth on October 4, 1957. The kerosene-fueled Sputnik weighed 184 lbs (84 kg), traveled at over 28,000 kilometers per hour (17,000 miles per hour) and continued to orbit until January 4, 1958. Though it broadcast little more than a monotonous beep, the beach ball-sized satellite’s successful orbit became a landmark moment in the 20th century.
Since there are currently thousands of satellites orbiting in the skies above us, it might be hard to fathom how shocking Sputnik actually was. To begin to understand its impact, we need to consider the context in which it existed. In 1955, the United States announced plans to create a satellite program that eventually became Project Vanguard. The Vanguard program’s progress, however, was slow and frustrating. Just as basic rocket tests were yielding some results, the world was informed that Sputnik was successfully orbiting the earth. The US space program was in its infancy and the Soviets had not only launched, they had reached Earth orbit!
Much of the impact was due to secrecy; although some members of the intelligence community were aware of the advanced status of a Soviet satellite program, the general public was completely taken aback. For most Americans, the thought that the Soviets could launch something into space that could fly over any part of the world was terribly unnerving and scary. Sputnik’s “beep, beep” greatly increased the fear of nuclear war and created a response in America that bordered on panic. The space and arms race that consumed much of the second half of the 20th century can be traced back to Sputnik.
Soviet advances in space continued after Sputnik I. On November 3, 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik II carrying a test dog named Laika. Sputnik III was launched in May 1958 and weighed nearly 1,400 kilograms (3,000 lbs); it orbited for about two years and provided a great deal of information about earth.
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