Sputnik

5 Pages 1222 Words

Sputnik
It was that blasted “beep, beep, beep” every 90 minutes reminding the United States, “Rah, we beat you!” History changed on October 4th 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik. The Russian’s launched the first artificial satellite from the Baikonur cosmodrone in Kazakhstan which demonstrated the technological superiority of Communism, actually more of a propaganda pain for the United States.
The Sputnik launch occurred back in the days when the Americans and the Russians regarded each other as enemies, also known as the “cold war.” They built massive armies, navies, and air forces and were prepared to engage in global war at a moments notice. American military manuals regarded the Russians as “The Threat,” and the Soviet Government went as far as training non-military to use small guns to prepare for an invasion from “The Imperialists.”
Sputnik had an elliptical orbit, ranging in altitude from 140 to 590 miles. Sputnik broadcast a steady signal of beeps from two radios for 21 days. It burned up in the earth’s atmosphere upon reentry, 92 days later, on January 4, 1958. It was designed to determine the density of the upper atmosphere and return data about the earth’s ionosphere. Those who did track it gained valuable information about the density of the upper atmosphere.
The sputnik launch changed everything. As a technical achievement, Sputnik caught the world’s attention and the American public off guard. 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.
The United States was shocked. Senator Lyndon Johnson said the Russians have was ahead of us in the conquest of space. A line from a movie that dramatized the emotional impact of the launch said, “Soon, they will be dropping bombs on us from space like kids dropping rocks o...