Sputnik programme
The Sputnik programme was a Soviet Union spacecraft programme.[1][2][3] Sputnik 1, the first satellite in the programme, was launched on October 4, 1957.[1] This was the first man-made satellite ever to enter orbit.[1]
The United States was very surprised when the Soviet Union sent Sputnik 1 into space. It did not want to fall behind. So, it began spending more money on science and education.[4] This was when the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States began.
Etymology
[edit | edit source]The word Sputnik comes from the Russian Спутник, literally "travelling companion", Template:IPA2 or Template:IPA2, not 'spʌt.nık.[1][5]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Sputnik 1". NASA NSSDC. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
- ↑
William J. Jordans (1957-10-05). "Soviet Fires Earth Satellite Into Space; It Is Circling the Globe at 18,000 M.P.H.; Sphere Tracked in 4 Crossings Over U.S." The New York Times. Moscow, USSR. Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
Their real significance would be in providing scientists with important new information concerning the nature of the sun, cosmic radiation, solar radio interference and static-producing phenomena radiating from the north and south magnetic poles. All this information would be of inestimable value for those who are working on the problem of sending missiles and eventually men into the vast reaches of the solar system.
- ↑ "Sputnik I". National Museum of the United States Air Force. 1957-10-04. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- ↑ Calmes, Jackie (2010-12-06). "Obama Calls for New 'Sputnik Moment'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
- ↑ Siddiqi, Asif A. (2003). Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge. University of Florida Press. p. 155. ISBN 0-8130-2627-X.
Other websites
[edit | edit source]- Sputnik Citizendium