- Sputnik program
The Sputnik program ( _ru. Спутник, IPA-ru|ˈsputnʲɪk) was a series of
robotic spacecraft missions launched by theSoviet Union . The first of these, "Sputnik 1 ", launched the first man-made object to orbit the Earth. That launch took place onOctober 4 ,1957 as part of theInternational Geophysical Year and demonstrated the viability of usingartificial satellite s to explore the upper atmosphere.The Russian word "sputnik" literally means "co-traveler", "traveling companion" or "satellite",The word "sputnik" ( _ru. спутник) consists of the
prefix "с"-, indicating "with" or "together", the root "пут", which means "path" or "journey", and thesuffix -"ник", meaning "pertaining to or involved in." Thus, the word literally means "companion", "traveling companion" or "satellite", and is ultimately a modern adaptation of theOld Church Slavonic version of the word: "supotiniku".] and its R-7 launch vehicle was designed initially to carry nuclear warheads.Impact
The surprise launch of "Sputnik 1", coupled with the spectacular failure of the United States' first two
Project Vanguard launch attempts, shocked theUnited States , which responded with a number of early satellite launches, includingExplorer 1 ,Project SCORE , andCourier 1B . TheSputnik crisis also led to the creation of theAdvanced Research Projects Agency (renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 1972):DARPA , andNASA , and an increase in U.S. government spending on scientific research and education.The launch of "Sputnik 1" inspired U.S. writer
Herb Caen to coin the term "beatnik " in an article about theBeat Generation in the "San Francisco Chronicle " onApril 2 ,1958 .cite news
first = Jesse
last = Hamlin
url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1995/11/26/PK72111.DTL
title = How Herb Caen Named a Generation
work = San Francisco Chronicle
date =November 26 ,1995
accessdate = 2007-09-30] See also:-nik .Early flights
"
Sputnik 1 "was launched onOctober 4 ,1957 . The satellite was 58 cm (about 23 in) in diameter and weighed approximately 83.6 kg (about 183 lb). Each of its elliptical orbits around the Earth took about 96 minutes. Monitoring of the satellite was done by manyamateur radio operators. [ [http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/09/28/03/?nc=1 ARRLWeb: Sputnik and Amateur Radio ] ] Sputnik's R-7 booster had previously proven itself more than one month earlier as the world's firstICBM in the successful long-range test flight ofAugust 21 (with the accomplishment published in "Aviation Week )."Sputnik 1 was not visible fromEarth but the casing of the R-7 booster, traveling behind it, was."
Sputnik 2 " was launched onNovember 3 ,1957 and carried the first living passenger into orbit, adog namedLaika . The mission planners did not provide for the safe return of thespacecraft or itspassenger , making Laika the first orbital casualty. This mission was promptly dubbed "Muttnik" by US humorists. [cite web|title=A Brief History of Animals in Space |publisher=NASA |url=http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html|accessdate=2007-08-08]The first attempt to launch "
Sputnik 3 ", onFebruary 3 ,1958 , failed, but the second onMay 15 succeeded, and it carried a large array of instruments for geophysical research. Itstape recorder failed, however, making it unable to measure theVan Allen radiation belt s."
Sputnik 4 " was launched two years later, onMay 15 ,1960 ."
Sputnik 5 " was launched onAugust 19 ,1960 with the dogsBelka and Strelka , 40 mice, 2rat s and severalplant s on board. The spacecraft returned to earth the next day and all animals were recovered safely."
Sputnik 6 " was launched onDecember 1 , 1960 with the dogs Pchelka and Mushka, who were killed on re-entry by an unplanned destructive charge.putnik 40 and Sputnik 41
Sputnik 40, also called Sputnik PS2, Radio Sputnik 17 (RS-17) and Mini-Sputnik, was a 1⁄3-scale model amateur radio satellite launched from the
Mir space station on3 November 1997 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Sputnik 1. The spacecraft body resembled Sputnik 1 and was built by students at the Polytechnic Laboratory of Nalchik inKabardino-Balkaria . The transmitter was built by students fromJules Reydellet College inRéunion , with technical support from AMSAT-France. Its batteries expired on 29 December 1998 and the VHF transmitter fell silent. [cite web|title=Sputnik: First Artificial Satellite|url=http://www.batnet.com/mfwright/sputnik.html|accessdate=2006-12-18] [cite web | title= Tiny Beeping Model Tossed From Station | publisher=Space Today Online | url=http://www.spacetoday.org/Satellites/Hamsats/Hamsats1990s/Hamsats90sMiniSputnik.html | accessdate=2006-12-18] [cite web | title=Radio Sputnik 17 | publisher=AMSAT | url=http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/rs17.html | accessdate=2006-12-18] Its international designator is 1997-058C,United States Space Command object 24958.cite web | title=SPACEWARN Activities, SPX-529| publisher=NASA | url=http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacewarn/spx529.html | accessdate=2006-12-18]Sputnik 41 (RS-18, designator 1998-62C, object 25533 was launched a year later, on
10 November 1998 . It also carried a transmitter.See also
*
Soviet space program
*Sergei Korolev : chief designer of Sputnik
*Donald B. Gillies : one of the first to calculate theSputnik 1 orbit
*Space Race : the competition between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R for space exploration
* Missions to Venus:
**Sputnik 7 (failed)
**Sputnik 8 (platform to launchVenera 1 )
**Sputnik 19 (failed)
**Sputnik 20 (failed)
**Sputnik 21 (failed)Notes
References
Further reading
* Dickson, Paul, "Sputnik: The Shock of the Century", Walker & Company (June 26, 2007), ISBN 978-0802713650
Three recent historical articles are noteworthy for their research and debunking of common misinformation:
*citation
last=Mitchell |first=Don |author-link=Don Mitchell
title=Sputnik: 50 Years Ago
url=http://www.mentallandscape.com/S_Sputnik.htm
access-date=2007-10-10
*citation
last=Siddiqi |first=Asif |author-link=Asif Siddiqi
title=Sputnik: A History of the Beginning of the Space Age
url=http://home.earthlink.net/~sovietwebspace/SovietWebSpace/sputnik/sputnik.html
access-date=2007-10-10
*citation
last=Zak |first=Anatoly |author-link=
title=Sputnik
url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik.html
access-date=2007-10-10External links
* [http://www.newsweek.com/id/43257 Timeline of Space Exploration and Sputnik diagram by Newsweek]
* [http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct07/5584 - An interview with Sir Arthur C. Clarke on Sputnik]
* [http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/SpaceAge/index.html NASA's 50th Anniversary of the Space Age & Sputnik - Interactive Media]
* [http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/dl/Sputnik/Sputnikdocuments.html Documents related to Sputnik and the Space Race, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library]
* [http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071001/D8S06IM00.html Secrets of 1957 Sputnik Launch Revealed]
* [http://en.rian.ru/video/20071003/82269150.html 50th anniversary of the Earth's first artificial satellite launch. RIA Novosti Video]
* [http://www.vibrationdata.com/Sputnik.htm Sputnik]
* [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=Sputnik Sputnik Program Page] by [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov NASA's Solar System Exploration]
* [http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Sputnik/Sputnik.php Diary of the Sputnik Programme]
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