Sputnik

by DeSean Grade 5



Sputnik was the first artificial orbiting satellite in history. The news of Sputnik in the United States ignited the space race in the Cold War. Sputnik also started the space age.

In October 1957 the U.S.S.R. released the first artificial satellite. A month later they sent out Sputnik II, which carried the dog Laika. When the U.S. saw this they tried to send a satellite but it failed. On January 31, 1958 they successfully sent a rocket called Explorer The space race was on!

Sergei P. Korlev headed the design bureau that created a ballistic missile and Sputnik. He said: “This ball will be exhibited in museums”.

Sputnik helped identify the earth’s upper atmosphere’s density. If a meteoroid hit the outside of the space craft it would be detected by temperature data sent back to earth. Sputnik was launched from Site I at the fifth Tyraratum Range in the U.S.S.R. It traveled 29,000 kilometers per hour.

Sputnik burned up on January 4, 1958. It was an important discovery to the world and the space age. It was the idea that started many of the discoveries of space.

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Image sources: http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal100/sputnik.html http://boingboing.net/2007/09/24/sputnik-turns-50-nyt.html