{"id":28634,"date":"2017-10-04T06:57:33","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T10:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=28634"},"modified":"2017-10-05T09:36:14","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T13:36:14","slug":"today-sixty-year-anniversary-of-sputnik-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/today-sixty-year-anniversary-of-sputnik-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Today: Sixty year anniversary of Sputnik 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Radio Moscow QSL Card (Credit: Richard Langley)<\/p><\/div>\n

(Source: NASA History Archives<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\n

Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age<\/h3>\n

History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world’s first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.<\/p>\n

The story begins in 1952, when the International Council of Scientific Unions decided to establish July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958, as the\u00a0International Geophysical Year (IGY)<\/a>because the scientists knew that the cycles of solar activity would be at a high point then. In October 1954, the council adopted a resolution calling for artificial satellites to be launched during the IGY to map the Earth’s surface.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0July 1955, the White House announced plans<\/a>\u00a0to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite for the IGY and solicited proposals from various Government research agencies to undertake development. In September 1955, the Naval Research Laboratory’s\u00a0Vanguard<\/a>\u00a0proposal was chosen to represent the U.S. during the IGY.<\/p>\n

The Sputnik launch changed everything. As a technical achievement, Sputnik caught the world’s attention and the American public off-guard. Its size was more impressive than Vanguard’s intended 3.5-pound payload. In addition, the public feared that the Soviets’ ability to launch satellites also translated into the capability to launch ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear weapons from Europe to the U.S. Then the Soviets struck again; on November 3, Sputnik II was launched, carrying a much heavier payload, including a dog named Laika.<\/p>\n

Immediately after the Sputnik I launch in October, the U.S. Defense Department responded to the political furor by approving funding for another U.S. satellite project. As a simultaneous alternative to Vanguard, Wernher von Braun and his Army Redstone Arsenal team began work on the\u00a0Explorer<\/a>\u00a0project.<\/p>\n

On January 31, 1958, the tide changed, when the United States successfully launched Explorer I. This satellite carried a small scientific payload that eventually discovered the magnetic radiation belts around the Earth, named after principal investigator James Van Allen. The Explorer program continued as a successful ongoing series of lightweight, scientifically useful spacecraft.<\/p>\n

The Sputnik launch also led directly to the creation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In July 1958, Congress passed the\u00a0National Aeronautics and Space Act (commonly called the “Space Act”)<\/a>, which created NASA as of October 1, 1958 from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and other government agencies.<\/p>\n

Click here to read at NASA’s history website.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Source: NASA<\/p><\/div>\n

More on Sputnik<\/h3>\n

Check out this post by SWLing Post<\/em> contributor Richard Langley in our archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also contributor, Colin Anderton, has posted a vintage Radio Moscow recording on his website, Apollo Audio Highlights<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: NASA History Archives) Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world’s first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305],"tags":[3516,4628,6552,4288,4287],"class_list":["post-28634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","tag-richard-langley","tag-space","tag-space-age","tag-sputnik","tag-sputnik-i"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-7rQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15047,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/anniversary-of-sputnik-i-launch-radio-moscow\/","url_meta":{"origin":28634,"position":0},"title":"Anniversary of Sputnik I Launch & Radio Moscow","author":"Thomas","date":"October 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who writes: Yesterday, 4 October, was the anniversary of the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial Earth satellite. The launch heralded the beginning of the space age. Sputnik I's Doppler-shifted radio transmissions on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz led to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Boat Anchors"","block_context":{"text":"Boat Anchors","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/boat-anchors-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"radio_moscow_sputnik_card_side1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/radio_moscow_sputnik_card_side1-726x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/radio_moscow_sputnik_card_side1-726x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/radio_moscow_sputnik_card_side1-726x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36573,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/doj-wants-rm-broadcasting-to-register-as-a-foreign-agent-for-broadcasting-sputnik-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":28634,"position":1},"title":"DOJ wants RM Broadcasting to register as a foreign agent for broadcasting Sputnik Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"March 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Washington Post via Mike Hansgen) Sputnik radio, a media organization funded by the Russian government with offices around the world, broadcasts from a studio in downtown Washington blocks from the White House. It airs talk shows hosted by, among others, Lee Stranahan, a former Breitbart News reporter, and Brian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sputnik_logo.svg_-1024x963.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sputnik_logo.svg_-1024x963.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sputnik_logo.svg_-1024x963.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26833,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/sputnik-radio-moves-to-the-dc-fm-radio-market\/","url_meta":{"origin":28634,"position":2},"title":"Sputnik Radio moves to the DC FM radio market","author":"Thomas","date":"July 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Sputnik News via Sheldon Harvey) \"Sputnik Radio begins broadcasting in Washington DC on the FM bandwidth, bringing its programming to FM listeners across the metropolitan area for the very first time. Sputnik Radio broadcasts, ranging from news programs to talk shows and financial analysis, are now available on 105.5\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sputnik_logo.svg_-300x282.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11362,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/while-ofcom-threatens-rt-voice-of-russia-launches-as-sputnik\/","url_meta":{"origin":28634,"position":3},"title":"While Ofcom threatens RT, Voice of Russia launches as “Sputnik”","author":"Thomas","date":"November 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As some attentive\u00a0SWLing Post readers have noted,\u00a0the Voice of Russia has found a new identity\u2013Sputnik News Agency and Radio\u2013with\u00a0a new website\/news portal\u00a0to match.\u00a0Here's the message the (former)\u00a0Voice of Russia\u00a0posted on their website today: \"Dear readers, we are excited to announce that the Voice of Russia is changing its name and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sputnik","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Sputnik.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Sputnik.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Sputnik.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16345,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/ukraine-to-launch-radio-station-for-troops\/","url_meta":{"origin":28634,"position":4},"title":"Ukraine to launch radio station for troops","author":"Thomas","date":"December 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader,\u00a0David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares this article via Sputnik News: Ukraine plans to launch a new radio station for the military in 2016. Alexei Makukhin, an advisor to the Ukraine\u2019s Defense Minister, said during a press briefing that a new Ukrainian radio station for military\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Disputed Ukraine Map via Wikimedia Commons","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Europe-Ukraine-Disputed.svg_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Europe-Ukraine-Disputed.svg_.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Europe-Ukraine-Disputed.svg_.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12845,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/cri-rfa-sputnik-and-the-bbc-an-information-battle\/","url_meta":{"origin":28634,"position":5},"title":"CRI, RFA, Sputnik, and the BBC: an “information battle?”","author":"Thomas","date":"March 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, for sharing this article from The National: Radio wars: information battle heats up as Russia and China muscle in For about 70 years it was the base of the BBC World Service. Bush House, with its grand marble entrance in central London,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Radio-Dial-Blurred-Dark","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Radio-Dial-Blurred-Dark.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Radio-Dial-Blurred-Dark.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Radio-Dial-Blurred-Dark.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}