View source for Sputnik 1

{{Short description|First artificial Earth satellite}}
{{Redirect|Sputnik}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = Sputnik 
| names_list         = {{lang|ru|Спутник 1}}<br />Object PS ({{lang|ru-Latn|Prosteishiy Sputnik}})<br />{{lang|ru|Простейший Спутник-1}}<br />Elementary Satellite-1
| image              = Первый в мире искусственный спутник Земли.jpg
| image_caption      = Replica of Sputnik 1 in the Museum of Space and Missile Technology (Saint Petersburg)
| image_alt          = 
| image_size         = 250
| mission_type       = [[Technology demonstration]]
| operator           = [[Energia (corporation)|OKB-1]]
| Harvard_designation = 1957 Alpha 2<ref>{{cite web|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/sputnik-1.htm|title=Sputnik 1 (PS-1 #1)|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|date=11 December 2017|access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref>
| COSPAR_ID          = 1957-001B
| SATCAT             = 2<ref>{{Cite web|title=SL-1 R/B|url=https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=1|website=n2yo.com}}</ref> (The launch rocket has SATCAT no.1)
| mission_duration   = {{time interval|4 October 1957|26 October 1957|show=ymd|sep=,}} (achieved)
| orbits_completed   = 1,440<ref name="rswSM" />
| spacecraft         = Sputnik-1
| spacecraft_type    = 
| spacecraft_bus     = 
| manufacturer       = [[Energia (corporation)|OKB-1]]<br />Ministry of Radiotechnical Industry
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|83.6|kg}}
| dry_mass           = 
| dimensions         = {{cvt|58|cm}} diameter
| power              = 1 [[watt]]
| launch_date        = {{start date and age|4 October 1957}}, 19:28:34 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]
| launch_rocket      = [[Sputnik (rocket)|Sputnik-PS]] 8K71PS<ref name="astronautix">{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/s/sputnik1.html|title=Sputnik 1|publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica|access-date=8 January 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227213737/http://astronautix.com/s/sputnik1.html|archive-date=27 December 2016}}</ref>
| launch_site        = [[Gagarin's Start|Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5]]<ref name="astronautix" />
| launch_contractor  = [[Energia (corporation)|OKB-1]]
| entered_service    = 
| disposal_type      = [[Atmospheric entry]]
| last_contact       = 26 October 1957
| decay_date         = 4 January 1958<ref name="astronautix" />
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]<ref name="nssdc.orbit" />
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|215|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|939|km}}
| orbit_inclination  = 65.10°
| orbit_period       = 96.20 minutes
| orbit_semimajor    = 6,955.2 km
| orbit_eccentricity = 0.05201
| apsis              = gee
| instruments        = Radio transmitter<br />20.005 and 40.002 [[Hertz|MHz]]
| programme          = [[Sputnik program]]
| previous_mission   = 
| next_mission       = [[Sputnik 2]]
}}

'''Sputnik 1'''  ({{IPAc-en|'|s|p|V|t|n|I|k|,_|'|s|p|ʊ|t|n|I|k}}, {{langx|ru|Спутник-1}}, ''Satellite 1''), sometimes referred to as simply '''Sputnik''', was the first artificial Earth [[satellite]]. It was launched into an elliptical [[low Earth orbit]] by the [[Soviet Union]] on 4 October 1957 as part of the [[Soviet space program]]. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three [[silver-zinc battery|silver-zinc batteries]] became depleted. Aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958.

It was a polished metal sphere {{cvt|58|cm}} in diameter with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. Its radio signal was easily detectable by amateur radio operators,<ref name="arrl">{{cite web |url=http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/09/28/03/?nc=1|title=Sputnik and Amateur Radio|date=22 September 2008|publisher=American Radio Relay League|author=Ralph H. Didlake, KK5PM|author2=Oleg P. Odinets, RA3DNC|access-date=26 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011045828/http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2007/09/28/03/?nc=1|archive-date=11 October 2007}}</ref> and the 65° [[orbital inclination]] made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth.

The satellite's success was unanticipated by the [[United States]]. This precipitated the American [[Sputnik crisis]] and triggered the [[Space Race]]. The launch was the beginning of a new era of political, military, technological, and scientific developments.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McDougall|first=Walter A.|date=Winter 2010|title=Shooting The Moon|url=https://www.americanheritage.com/content/shooting-moon|journal=American Heritage|volume=59|issue=4|access-date=January 3, 2019|issn=0002-8738}}</ref> The word ''sputnik'' is Russian for ''satellite'' when interpreted in an astronomical context;<ref name="NASA">{{cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1957-001B|title=Display: Sputnik-1 1957-001B|publisher=NASA|date=27 April 2021|access-date=16 May 2021}} {{Source-attribution}}</ref> its other meanings are ''spouse'' or ''travelling companion''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sputnik 1, Earth's First Artificial Satellite in Photos|date=4 October 2020|url=https://www.space.com/17852-sputnik-space-race-first-satellite-photos.html|publisher=SPACE.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=APOD: October 3, 1998 – Sputnik: Traveling Companion|url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap981003.html|website=apod.nasa.gov}} {{Source-attribution}}</ref>

Tracking and studying Sputnik 1 from Earth provided scientists with valuable information. The density of the upper atmosphere could be deduced from its drag on the orbit, and the propagation of its radio signals gave data about the [[ionosphere]].

Sputnik 1 was launched during the [[International Geophysical Year]] from [[Gagarin's Start|Site No.1/5]], at the 5th [[Tyuratam]] range, in [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh SSR]] (now known as the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]]). The satellite travelled at a peak speed of about {{cvt|8|km/s|mph|abbr=on}}, taking 96.20 minutes to complete each orbit. It transmitted on 20.005 and 40.002&nbsp;MHz,<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Jorden|first=William J.|date=5 October 1957|title=Soviet Fires Earth Satellite Into Space|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/10/05/issue.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=28 December 2015}}</ref> which were monitored by radio operators throughout the world. The signals continued for 22 days until the transmitter batteries depleted on 26 October 1957. On 4 January 1958, after three months in orbit, Sputnik 1 burned up while [[Atmospheric entry|reentering Earth's atmosphere]], having completed 1,440 orbits of the Earth,<ref name="rswSM" /> and travelling a distance of approximately {{cvt|70,000,000|km}}.<ref name="NSSDC">{{cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1957-001B|title=Sputnik-1 1957-001B|publisher=NASA|date=27 April 2021|access-date=16 May 2021}} {{Source-attribution}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{lang|ru|Спутник-1|italic=yes}},<!-- italics because it's a spacecraft --> [[Romanization of Russian|romanized as]] {{lang|ru-Latn|Sputnik-Odin}} ({{IPA|ru|ˈsputnʲɪk.ɐˈdʲin|pron}}), means 'Satellite-One'. The Russian word for satellite, {{wikt-lang|ru|спутник|sputnik}}, was coined in the 18th century by combining the [[prefix]] {{wikt-lang|ru|с-|s-}} ('fellow') and {{wikt-lang|ru|путник|putnik}} ('traveler'), thereby meaning 'fellow-traveler', a meaning corresponding to the [[List of Greek and Latin roots in English|Latin root]] {{lang|la|satelles}} ('guard, attendant or companion'), which is the origin of English ''satellite''.<ref name="trincoll">{{cite news|title=Where Did Sputnik Get its Name?|url=https://commons.trincoll.edu/eclectic/where-did-sputnik-get-its-name/|first=David|last=Chappell|date=2020-03-25}}</ref> (In the West, dating from the 1930s, the term [[fellow traveler]] was already used as a pejorative to describe people who were philosophically sympathetic to communism.)

In English, 'Sputnik' is widely recognized as a proper name; however, this is not the case in Russian. In the Russian language, ''sputnik'' is the general term for the [[artificial satellite]]s of any country and the [[natural satellite]]s of any planet.<ref name="trincoll"/> The incorrect attribution of 'Sputnik' as a proper name can be traced back to an article released by ''[[The New York Times]]'' on 6 October 1957, titled "Soviet 'Sputnik' Means A Traveler's Traveler". In the referenced article, the term 'Sputnik' was portrayed as bearing a poetic connotation arising from its linguistic origins. This connotation incorrectly indicated that it was bestowed with the specific proper name 'Fellow-Traveler-One', rather than being designated by the general term 'Satellite-One'. In Russian-language references, Sputnik 1 is recognised by the technical name of 'Satellite-One'.<ref name="trincoll"/>

== Before the launch ==
=== Satellite construction project ===
On 17 December 1954, chief Soviet rocket scientist [[Sergei Korolev]] proposed a developmental plan for an artificial satellite to the Minister of the Defense Industry, [[Dimitri Ustinov]]. Korolev forwarded a report by [[Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov|Mikhail Tikhonravov]], with an overview of similar projects abroad.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rgantd.ru/vzal/korolev/pics/015_025.jpg |title=On the possibility of Earth's artificial satellite development |language=ru |first=Sergei |last=Korolev |date=26 May 1954 |access-date=26 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408193139/http://rgantd.ru/vzal/korolev/pics/015_025.jpg |archive-date=8 April 2008}}</ref> Tikhonravov had emphasised that the launch of an orbital satellite was an inevitable stage in the development of rocket technology.<ref name="ZE">[http://www.buran.ru/htm/gud%2017.htm Создание первых искусственных спутников Земли. Начало изучения Луны. Спутники "Зенит" и "Электрон"], book: Гудилин В.Е., Слабкий Л.И.([[:ru:Слабкий Леонид Ильич|Слабкий Л.И.]])(Gudilin V., Slabkiy L.)"Ракетно-космические системы (История. Развитие. Перспективы)", М., 1996 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314133238/http://www.buran.ru/htm/gud%2017.htm |date=14 March 2007}} (in Russian)</ref>

On 29 July 1955, U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] announced through his press secretary that, during the [[International Geophysical Year]] (IGY), the United States would launch an artificial satellite.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/monograph10/korspace.html |title=Korolev and Freedom of Space: 14 February 1990 – 4 October 1957 |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=18 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007175859/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/monograph10/korspace.html |archive-date=7 October 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> Four days later, [[Leonid Sedov]], a leading Soviet physicist, announced that they too would launch an artificial satellite. On 8 August, the [[Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] approved the proposal to create an artificial satellite.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rgantd.ru/vzal/korolev/pics/015_001.jpg |title=On the creation of the Earth's artificial satellite |author=The Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU |language=ru |date=8 August 1955 |access-date=26 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408193149/http://rgantd.ru/vzal/korolev/pics/015_001.jpg |archive-date=8 April 2008}}</ref> On 30 August, Vasily Ryabikov—the head of the State Commission on the [[R-7 Semyorka|R-7 rocket]] test launches—held a meeting where Korolev presented calculation data for a spaceflight trajectory to the Moon. They decided to develop a three-stage version of the R-7 rocket for satellite launches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/vetrov/korolev-delo/06-01.html |title=G. S. Vetrov, Korolev And His Job. Appendix 2 |language=ru |access-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307111932/http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/vetrov/korolev-delo/06-01.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=7 March 2008}}</ref>

[[File:Sputnik 1 Arming Key.jpg|right|thumb|Last remaining piece of Sputnik 1: metal arming key which prevented contact between batteries and transmitter prior to launch; on display at the [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian]] [[National Air and Space Museum]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/2007-13215hjpg|title=Sputnik Arming Key in Space Race|date=28 January 2018 |publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=13 July 2019}}</ref>]]
On 30 January 1956, the [[Council of Ministers (Soviet Union)|Council of Ministers]] approved practical work on an artificial Earth-orbiting satellite. This satellite, named ''Object D'', was planned to be completed in 1957–58; it would have a mass of {{convert|1000|to|1400|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and would carry {{convert|200|to|300|kg|lb|abbr=on}} of scientific instruments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nauka.relis.ru/05/9710/05710002.htm |title=The Beginning |language=ru |access-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927205937/http://nauka.relis.ru/05/9710/05710002.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> The first test launch of "Object D" was scheduled for 1957.<ref name="ZE" /> Work on the satellite was to be divided among institutions as follows:<ref name="NL">{{cite web |url=http://www.lidorenko.ru/ns1.htm |title=On the Launch of the First Earth's artificial satellite in the USSR |first=Nikolai |last=Lidorenko |language=ru |access-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402041653/http://www.lidorenko.ru/ns1.htm |archive-date=2 April 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

* The [[USSR Academy of Sciences]] was responsible for the general scientific leadership and the supply of research instruments.
* The Ministry of the Defense Industry and its primary design bureau, [[OKB-1]], were assigned the task of building the satellite.
* The Ministry of the Radio technical Industry would develop the control system, radio/technical instruments, and the [[telemetry]] system.
* The Ministry of the Ship Building Industry would develop [[gyroscope]] devices.
* The Ministry of the Machine Building would develop ground launching, refuelling, and transportation means.
* The Ministry of Defense was responsible for conducting launches.

Preliminary design work was completed in July 1956 and the scientific tasks to be carried out by the satellite were defined. These included measuring the density of the atmosphere and its [[ion]] composition, the [[solar wind]], [[magnetic field]]s, and [[cosmic ray]]s. These data would be valuable in the creation of future artificial satellites; a system of ground stations was to be developed to collect data transmitted by the satellite, observe the satellite's orbit, and transmit commands to the satellite. Because of the limited time frame, observations were planned for only 7 to 10 days and orbit calculations were not expected to be extremely accurate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/nk/1997/16/16-1997.html |title=40 Years of Space Era |language=ru |access-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229190257/http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/nk/1997/16/16-1997.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=29 February 2008}}</ref>

By the end of 1956, it became clear that the complexity of the ambitious design meant that 'Object D' could not be launched in time because of difficulties creating scientific instruments and the low [[specific impulse]] produced by the completed R-7 engines (304&nbsp;seconds instead of the planned 309 to 310&nbsp;seconds). Consequently, the government rescheduled the launch for April 1958.<ref name="ZE" /> Object D would later fly as [[Sputnik 3]].<ref>Lanius, ''et al'', p. 38.</ref>

Fearing the U.S. would launch a satellite before the USSR, OKB-1 suggested the creation and launch of a satellite in April–May 1957, before the IGY began in July 1957. The new satellite would be simple, light ({{convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=on|disp=or}}), and easy to construct, forgoing the complex, heavy scientific equipment in favour of a simple radio transmitter. On 15 February 1957 the Council of Ministers of the USSR approved this simple satellite, designated 'Object PS', PS meaning ''"prosteishiy sputnik",'' or "elementary satellite".<ref name="1957sat">{{cite web|url=http://claudelafleur.qc.ca/Spacecrafts-1957.html|title=Spacecrafts &#91;sic&#93; launched in 1957|last=Lafleur|first=Claude|date=2004|website=ClaudeLafleur.qc.ca|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827232818/http://claudelafleur.qc.ca/Spacecrafts-1957.html|archive-date=27 August 2011|url-status=live|access-date=26 March 2008}}</ref> This version allowed the satellite to be tracked visually by Earth-based observers, and it could transmit tracking signals to ground-based receiving stations.<ref name="1957sat" /> The launch of two satellites, PS-1 and PS-2, with two R-7 rockets (8K71), was approved, provided that the R-7 completed at least two successful test flights.<ref name="1957sat" />

=== Launch vehicle preparation and launch site selection ===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 230

 | image1 = R-7 (7A) misil.svg
 | alt1 = 
 | caption1 = R-7 Semyorka ICBM
 
 | image2 = Sputnik 8K71PS grey.svg
 | alt2 = 
 | caption2 = Sputnik 8K71PS
}}
[[File:1967 CPA 3496.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Ruble|30 kopek]] USSR [[Postage stamps and postal history of Russia|stamp]] depicting Sputnik 1 orbiting the Earth, the Earth orbiting the Sun and the Sun orbiting the centre of the Milky Way galaxy]]
[[File:1957-10-07 New Moon.ogv|thumb|One of the first reports of Sputnik 1 by Universal Newsreel on 7 October 1957. Note that the launch vehicle is depicted incorrectly, owing to lack of knowledge released to the public.]]
{{Main|Sputnik (rocket)|R-7 Semyorka}}
The R-7 rocket was initially designed as an [[intercontinental ballistic missile]] (ICBM) by OKB-1. The decision to build it was made by the [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] and the Council of Ministers of the USSR on 20 May 1954.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arms.ru/nuclear/R7.htm |publisher=Arms.ru |language=ru |access-date=10 January 2013 |title=Межконтинентальная баллистическая ракета Р-7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307172826/http://www.arms.ru/nuclear/R7.htm |archive-date=7 March 2012 |url-status=live|trans-title=Intercontinental ballistic missile R-7}}</ref> The rocket was the most powerful in the world; it was designed with excess thrust since they were unsure how heavy the hydrogen bomb payload would be.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/topstories/2007-09-30-3949485139_x.htm|title=Sputnik at 50: An improvised triumph|last1=Isachenkov|first1=Vladimir|agency=Associated Press|work=USA Today|date=30 September 2007|access-date=13 July 2019}}</ref> The R-7 was also known by its GRAU (later GURVO, the Russian abbreviation for "Chief Directorate of the Rocket Forces") designation 8K71.<ref>Zaloga, p. 232.</ref> At the time, the R-7 was known to NATO sources as the T-3 or M-104,<ref name="CoxStoiko69">Cox & Stoiko, p. 69.</ref> and Type A.<ref>Bilstein, p. 387.</ref>

Several modifications were made to the R-7 rocket to adapt it to 'Object D', including upgrades to the main engines, the removal of a {{cvt|300|kg|lb|adj=on}} radio package on the booster, and a new payload fairing that made the booster almost four metres (14 feet) shorter than its ICBM version.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zak |first1=Anatoly |title=Sputnik-3 |url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005112056/https://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik3.html |archive-date=5 October 2007 |publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Siddiqi |first=Asif A. |date=2023-03-29 |title=Korolev, Sputnik, and The International Geophysical Year |url=https://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/siddiqi.html |website=NASA History Division: Sputnik and the Dawn of the Space Age |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration}}</ref> Object D would later be launched as [[Sputnik 3]] after the much lighter 'Object PS' (Sputnik 1) was launched first.<ref>Lanius, et al, p. 38</ref> The trajectory of the launch vehicle and the satellite were initially calculated using [[arithmometer]]s and six-digit trigonometric tables. More complex calculations were carried out on a newly-installed computer at the [[Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union|Academy of Sciences]].<ref name=":23"/>

A special [[reconnaissance]] commission selected Tyuratam for the construction of a rocket [[proving ground]], the 5th Tyuratam range, usually referred to as "NIIP-5", or "GIK-5" in the post-Soviet time. The selection was approved on 12 February 1955 by the Council of Ministers of the USSR, but the site would not be completed until 1958. Actual work on the construction of the site began on 20 July by military building units.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur_origin.html |title=Origin of the test range in Tyuratam |year=2015 |first1=Anatoly|last1=Zak |publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com |access-date=27 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123203845/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur_origin.html |archive-date=23 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The first launch of an R-7 rocket (8K71 No.5L) occurred on 15 May 1957. A fire began in the Blok D [[Booster (rocketry)#Strap-on|strap-on]] almost immediately at liftoff, but the booster continued flying until 98 seconds after launch when the strap-on broke away and the vehicle crashed {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} downrange.<ref name="AR7">{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r7.htm |title=R-7|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629074344/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r7.htm |archive-date=29 June 2011|url-status=dead|publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica|last1=Wade|first1=Mark}}</ref> Three attempts to launch the second rocket (8K71 No.6) were made on 10–11 June, but an assembly defect prevented launch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/launchers/rocket-r7.html|title=S.P.Korolev RSC Energia – Launchers|website=www.energia.ru|access-date=4 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109062006/http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/launchers/rocket-r7.html|archive-date=9 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The unsuccessful launch of the third R-7 rocket (8K71 No.7) took place on 12 July.<ref name="AR7" /> An [[electrical short]] caused the [[vernier engine]]s to put the missile into an uncontrolled roll which resulted in all of the strap-ons separating 33 seconds into the launch. The R-7 crashed about {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the pad.<ref name="RR7">{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/r7.html|title=R-7 family of launchers and ICBMs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071004091253/https://www.russianspaceweb.com/r7.html |archive-date=4 October 2007|publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com|first1=Anatoly|last1=Zak}}</ref>

The launch of the fourth rocket (8K71 No.8), on 21 August at 15:25 [[Moscow Time]],<ref name="AR7" /> was successful. The rocket's core boosted the dummy warhead to the target altitude and velocity, reentered the atmosphere, and broke apart at a height of {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} after travelling {{convert|6000|km|mi|abbr=on}}. On 27 August, the [[Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union|TASS]] issued a statement on the successful launch of a long-distance multistage ICBM. The launch of the fifth R-7 rocket (8K71 No.9), on 7 September,<ref name="AR7" /> was also successful, but the dummy was also destroyed on atmospheric re-entry,<ref name="RR7" /> and hence needed a redesign to completely fulfil its military purpose. The rocket, however, was deemed suitable for satellite launches, and Korolev was able to convince the State Commission to allow the use of the next R-7 to launch PS-1,<ref>Harford, p. 127.</ref> allowing the delay in the rocket's military exploitation to launch the PS-1 and PS-2 satellites.<ref name="NKA" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/237/36.shtml |trans-title=Creation and Launch of the First Earth's Satellite |author=V.Poroshkov |publisher=Novosti Kosmonavtiki |script-title=ru:Создание и запуск Первого спутника Земли |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606033433/http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/237/36.shtml |archive-date=6 June 2011 |language=ru |access-date=10 January 2013}}</ref>

On 22 September a modified R-7 rocket, named [[Sputnik (rocket)|Sputnik]] and indexed as 8K71PS,<ref name="Siddiqi, p. 163">Siddiqi, p. 163.</ref> arrived at the proving ground and preparations for the launch of PS-1 began.<ref>[http://www.nkau.gov.ua/gateway/news.nsf/NewsALLR/BC8D1101C20C9643C3256BB90039079F!open 45th Anniversary of the First Start of Native ICBM R-7] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108023258/http://www.nkau.gov.ua/gateway/news.nsf/NewsALLR/BC8D1101C20C9643C3256BB90039079F!open |date=8 January 2009}} at Ukrainian Aerospace Portal {{in lang|ru}}</ref> Compared to the military R-7 test vehicles, the mass of 8K71PS was reduced from {{convert|280|to|272|t|lb}}, its length with PS-1 was {{convert|29.167|m|ftin}} and the [[thrust]] at liftoff was {{convert|3.90|MN|abbr=on|lk=on}}.<ref name="rswsputniklv">{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik_lv.html|title=Sputnik launch vehicle 8K71PS (M1-1PS)|publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com|access-date=4 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211204512/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik_lv.html|archive-date=11 December 2015|url-status=live|first1=Anatoly|last1=Zak}}</ref>

=== Observation complex ===
PS-1 was not designed to be controlled; it could only be observed. Initial data at the launch site would be collected at six separate observatories and telegraphed to [[NII-4]].<ref name="NKA">{{cite web|url=http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/237/36.shtml|trans-title=Creation and Launch of the First Earth's Satellite|author=V.Poroshkov|publisher=Novosti Kosmonavtiki|script-title=ru:Создание и запуск Первого спутника Земли|language=ru|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606033433/http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/237/36.shtml|archive-date=6 June 2011}}</ref> Located back in Moscow (at [[Yubileyny, Moscow Oblast|Bolshevo]]), NII-4 was a scientific research arm of the [[Ministry of Defence (Soviet Union)|Ministry of Defence]] that was dedicated to missile development.<ref>Siddiqi, p. 39.</ref> The six observatories were clustered around the launch site, with the closest situated {{convert|1|km|abbr=on}} from the launch pad.<ref name="NKA" />

A second, nationwide observation complex was established to track the satellite after its separation from the rocket. Called the Command-Measurement Complex, it consisted of the coordination center in NII-4 and seven distant stations situated along the line of the satellite's [[ground track]].<ref name="Siddiqi162">Siddiqi, p. 162.</ref> These tracking stations were located at [[Tyuratam]], [[Sary-Shagan]], [[Yeniseysk]], [[Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai|Klyuchi]], [[Yelizovo]], [[Makat]] in [[Atyrau Province|Guryev Oblast]], and [[Ishkup]] in [[Krasnoyarsk Krai]].<ref name="NKA" /><ref name="Siddiqi162" /> Stations were equipped with [[radar]], optical instruments, and communications systems. Data from stations were transmitted by [[telegraph]]s into NII-4 where [[ballistics]] specialists calculated orbital parameters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nauka.relis.ru/26/0507/26507086.htm|script-title=ru:ИСТОРИЯ ЦУПА: ТРУД, РАДОСТИ, МЫТАРСТВА|trans-title=History of Decoration: Labor, Joy, Treatment|publisher=НАУКА и ЖИЗНЬ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618204538/http://nauka.relis.ru/26/0507/26507086.htm |archive-date=18 June 2008|language=ru}}</ref>

The observatories used a trajectory measurement system called "Tral", developed by [[OKB|OKB MEI]] (Moscow Energy Institute), by which they received and monitored data from [[transponder]]s mounted on the R-7 rocket's core stage.<ref>[http://www.okbmei.ru/upage.html?id=30 Wonderful "Seven" and First Satellites] at the website of OKB MEI {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903073846/http://www.okbmei.ru/upage.html?id=30 |date=3 September 2007}}</ref> The data were useful even after the satellite's separation from the second stage of the rocket; Sputnik's location was calculated from data on the location of the second stage, which followed Sputnik at a known distance.<ref>[http://rgantd.ru/book_2.php?link=mozjorin Yu.A.Mozzhorin Memories] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018165625/http://rgantd.ru/book_2.php?link=mozjorin |date=18 October 2007}} at the website of Russian state archive for scientific-technical documentation{{in lang|ru}}</ref> Tracking of the booster during launch had to be accomplished through purely passive means, such as visual coverage and radar detection. R-7 test launches demonstrated that the tracking cameras were only good up to an altitude of {{convert|200|km|mi|abbr=on}}, but radar could track it for almost {{convert|500|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="rswsputniklv" />

[[File:Bahnspur sputnik 1.jpg|thumb|First ground track of Sputnik 1 on 13 October 1957 4:51 from [[Rodewisch]]|220x175px]]
Outside the Soviet Union, the satellite was tracked by [[amateur radio]] operators in many countries.<ref name="Lovell196">Lovell, p. 196.</ref> The booster rocket was located and tracked by the British using the [[Lovell Telescope]] at the [[Jodrell Bank Observatory]], the only telescope in the world able to do so by radar.<ref name="Lovell196" /> Canada's [[Newbrook Observatory]] was the first facility in North America to photograph Sputnik 1.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8809&pid=0 |title=Newbrook Observatory |author=Canadian Register of Historic Places |year=2015 |publisher=Canada's Historic Places |work=Historicplaces.ca |access-date=29 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030164908/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8809&pid=0 |archive-date=30 October 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Design ==
[[File:Sputnik 1 Exploded View 3F9A6199 (36924864550) modified.png|thumb|alt=Sputnik's internal components|Exploded view of Sputnik 1]]
Sputnik 1 was designed to meet a set of guidelines and objectives such as:<ref name=":23"/>

* Simplicity and reliability that could be adapted to future projects
* A spherical body to help determine atmospheric density from its lifetime in orbit
* Radio equipment to facilitate tracking and to obtain data on radio waves propagation through the atmosphere
* Verification of the satellite's pressurisation scheme

The chief constructor of Sputnik 1 at [[OKB-1]] was Mikhail S. Khomyakov.<ref name="NK2002">{{cite web |url=http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/230/52.shtml |trans-title=80th Anniversary of Oleg Genrikhovich Ivanovsky |publisher=Novosti Kosmonavtiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619143712/http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/230/52.shtml |archive-date=19 June 2009 |script-title=ru:Олегу Генриховичу Ивановскому – 80 лет |language=ru}}</ref> The satellite was a {{convert|585|mm|adj=on}} diameter sphere, assembled from two hemispheres that were [[Hermetic seal|hermetically]] sealed with [[O-ring]]s and connected by 36 [[Bolted joint|bolts]]. It had a mass of {{convert|83.6|kg}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/russia/newsid_7010000/7010982.stm|script-title=ru:Старт космической эры|trans-title=Start of the Space Era|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205131922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/russia/newsid_7010000/7010982.stm |archive-date=5 February 2008|publisher= [[BBC Russian Service|BBC Russia]]|last1=Кречетников|first1=Артем|date=25 September 2007 |language=ru|url-status=live}}</ref> The hemispheres were 2&nbsp;mm thick,<ref>{{cite web |title=Sputnik 1 |publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica |url=http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sputnik1.htm |access-date=20 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202151610/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sputnik1.htm |archive-date=2 February 2007|last1=Wade|first1=Mark}}</ref> and were covered with a highly polished 1&nbsp;mm-thick [[heat shield]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/157/03.shtml |trans-title=PS-1 – Earth's First Artificial Satellite |publisher=Novosti Kosmonatviki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011160322/http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/157/03.shtml |archive-date=11 October 2007 |script-title=ru:ПС-1 – первый искусственный спутник Земли |language=ru}}</ref> made of an [[aluminium]]–[[magnesium]]–[[titanium]] [[alloy]], [[AMG6T]]. The satellite carried two pairs of antennas designed by the Antenna Laboratory of OKB-1, led by Mikhail V. Krayushkin.<ref name="NL" /> Each antenna was made up of two whip-like parts, {{convert|2.4|and|2.9|m|ft|abbr=}} in length,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pnp.ru/chapters/events/events_4378.html|script-title=ru:Спутник, спасший мир|trans-title=The companion who saved the world|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219184722/http://www.pnp.ru/chapters/events/events_4378.html |archive-date=19 December 2007|date=4 October 2007|language=ru|publisher=Парламентская газета|issue=181}}</ref> and had an almost spherical [[radiation pattern]].<ref name="RS" />

The [[power supply]], with a mass of {{convert|51|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, was in the shape of an octagonal [[Nut (hardware)|nut]] with the radio transmitter in its hole.<ref>{{Cite book|script-title=ru:Королев: факты и мифы|last=Golovanov|first=Yaroslav K.|publisher=[[Russian Knights]] Foundation|year=2007|isbn=9785903389018|location=Moscow|language=ru|trans-title=Korolev: Facts and myths|chapter=57: Space|chapter-url=http://www.rtc.ru/encyk/bibl/modif/golovanov/korolev/57.html|access-date=12 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109221107/http://www.rtc.ru/encyk/bibl/modif/golovanov/korolev/57.html|archive-date=9 January 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It consisted of three [[Silver-oxide battery|silver-zinc batteries]], developed at the All-Union Research Institute of Power Sources (VNIIT) under the leadership of Nikolai S. Lidorenko. Two of these batteries powered the radio transmitter and one powered the temperature regulation system. The batteries had an expected lifetime of two weeks, and operated for 22 days. The power supply was turned on automatically at the moment of the satellite's separation from the second stage of the rocket.<ref name=RSW>{{cite web|url= http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik_design.html |author=Anatoly Zak|title= Design of the first artificial satellite of the Earth |publisher= RussianSpaceWeb.com |date=2017|access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref>

The satellite had a one-watt, {{convert|3.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="NKA" /> radio transmitting unit inside, developed by Vyacheslav I. Lappo from ''NII-885'', the Moscow Electronics Research Institute,<ref name="RSW" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78T04563A000600010042-5.pdf |title=Moskva Electronics Research Institute Novaya NII 885|publisher=National Photographic Interpretation Center|date=May 1970|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145217/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78T04563A000600010042-5.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> that worked on two frequencies, 20.005 and 40.002&nbsp;MHz. Signals on the first frequency were transmitted in 0.3 s pulses (near f = 3&nbsp;Hz) (under normal temperature and pressure conditions on board), with pauses of the same duration filled by pulses on the second frequency.<ref>[http://rgantd.ru/vzal/korolev/pics/015_007.jpg Form of Signals of the First Earth's Artificial Satellite] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025181508/http://rgantd.ru/vzal/korolev/pics/015_007.jpg |date=25 October 2007}} – a document at the website of Russian state archive for scientific-technical documentation</ref> Analysis of the radio signals was used to gather information about the electron density of the ionosphere. Temperature and pressure were encoded in the duration of radio beeps. A temperature regulation system contained a [[Fan (mechanical)|fan]], a dual [[thermal cutoff|thermal switch]], and a control thermal switch.<ref name="RSW" /> If the temperature inside the satellite exceeded {{convert|36|C|F|0|abbr=on}}, the fan was turned on; when it fell below {{convert|20|C|F|0|abbr=on}}, the fan was turned off by the dual thermal switch.<ref name="RS">{{cite web|url=http://www.space-ru.com/russian-satellites/satellite-sputnik-1/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323073641/http://www.space-ru.com/russian-satellites/satellite-sputnik-1/ |archive-date=23 March 2008|url-status=live|script-title=ru:ИСЗ Спутник-1|trans-title=Sputnik-1 Satellite|date=27 June 2018|publisher=USSR in space|language=ru}}</ref> If the temperature exceeded {{convert|50|C|F|0|abbr=on}} or fell below {{convert|0|C|F|0|abbr=on}}, another control thermal switch was activated, changing the duration of the radio signal pulses.<ref name="RSW" /> Sputnik ''1'' was filled with dry nitrogen, pressurised to {{cvt|1.3|atm|kPa|lk=in}}.<ref name="Siddiqi, p. 163" /> The satellite had a [[barometric]] switch, activated if the pressure inside the satellite fell below 130 kPa, which would have indicated failure of the pressure vessel or puncture by a meteor, and would have changed the duration of radio signal impulse.<ref name="arrl" />

While attached to the rocket, Sputnik 1 was protected by a cone-shaped [[payload fairing]], with a height of {{convert|80|cm|in|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NKA" /> The fairing separated from both Sputnik and the spent R-7 second stage at the same time as the satellite was ejected.<ref name="RSW" /> Tests of the satellite were conducted at OKB-1 under the leadership of [[Oleg Ivanovsky|Oleg G. Ivanovsky]].<ref name="NK2002" />

== Launch and mission ==
[[File:Dawn of the Space Age.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|Artist's impression of ''Sputnik 1'' in orbit]]
The control system of the Sputnik rocket was adjusted to an intended orbit of {{cvt|223|by|1450|km}}, with an orbital period of 101.5 minutes.<ref name="MainR">[http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/vetrov/korolev-delo/03-03.html#36 Main Results of the Launch of the Rocket with the First ISZ Onboard on 4 October 1957] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002142544/http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/vetrov/korolev-delo/03-03.html|date=2 October 2007}} – document signed by S.P. Korolev, V.P. Glushko, N.A. Pilyugin and V.P. Barmin, in the book by Vetrov "Korolev and His Job" {{in lang|ru}}</ref> The trajectory had been calculated earlier by [[Georgi Grechko]], using the [[Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union|USSR Academy of Sciences]]' [[mainframe computer]].<ref name="NKA" /><ref>Siddiqi, p. 154.</ref>

The Sputnik rocket was launched on 4 October 1957 at 19:28:34 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (5 October at the launch site<ref name="rswSM">{{cite web |url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik_mission.html|title=Sputnik's mission|year=2015|publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com|access-date=27 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123225622/http://russianspaceweb.com/sputnik_mission.html|archive-date=23 January 2013|first1=Anatoly|last1=Zak}}</ref><ref name="nssdc.orbit">{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/displayTrajectory.action?id=1957-001B|title=Trajectory: Sputnik-1 1957-001B|publisher=NASA|date=27 April 2021|access-date=16 May 2021}} {{Source-attribution}}</ref>) from [[Gagarin's Start|Site No.1]] at NI
P-5.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tecnocosmos.com/archivo/1957/1957001b.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927180255/http://www.tecnocosmos.com/archivo/1957/1957001b.htm|url-status=dead|title=Sputnik 1|archive-date=27 September 2007|language=es}}</ref> Telemetry indicated that the strap-ons separated 116 seconds into the flight and the core stage engine shut down 295.4 seconds into the flight.<ref name="MainR" /> At shutdown, the 7.5-tonne core stage (with PS-1 attached) had attained an altitude of {{cvt|223|km}} above sea level, a velocity of {{cvt|7780|m/s}}, and a velocity vector inclination to the local horizon of 0 degrees 24 minutes. This resulted in an initial elliptical orbit of {{cvt|223|km}} by {{cvt|950|km}}, with an apogee approximately {{cvt|500|km}} lower than intended, and an [[orbital inclination|inclination]] of 65.10° and a period of 96.20 minutes.<ref name="MainR" /><ref name=":23"/>

Several engines did not fire on time, almost aborting the mission.<ref name=":23"/> A fuel regulator in the booster also failed around 16 seconds into launch, which resulted in excessive [[RP-1]] consumption for most of the powered flight and the engine thrust being 4% above nominal. Core stage cutoff was intended for T+296 seconds, but the premature propellant depletion caused thrust termination to occur one second earlier when a sensor detected overspeed of the empty RP-1 turbopump. There were {{cvt|375|kg}} of [[liquid oxygen|LOX]] remaining at cutoff.<ref name="rswSM" />

At 19.9 seconds after engine cut-off, PS-1 separated from the second stage<ref name="rswSM" /> and the satellite's transmitter was activated. These signals were detected at the IP-1 station by Junior Engineer-Lieutenant V.G. Borisov, where reception of Sputnik 1's "beep-beep-beep" tones confirmed the satellite's successful deployment. Reception lasted for two minutes, until PS-1 passed below the horizon.<ref name="NKA" /><ref>[http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/ziv/2002/5-kak-zap.html How the First Sputnik Was Launched] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408030050/http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/ziv/2002/5-kak-zap.html|date=8 April 2008}} at ''Zemlya i Vselennaya'' magazine, No.5, 2002 {{in lang|ru}}</ref> The Tral telemetry system on the R-7 core stage continued to transmit and was detected on its second orbit.<ref name="rswSM" />

The designers, engineers, and technicians who developed the rocket and satellite watched the launch from the range.<ref name="VR">{{cite web|title=World's first satellite and the international community's response|publisher=VoR.ru|url=http://www.vor.ru/Space_now/Satellite/Satellite_102_eng.html|access-date=22 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912141057/http://www.vor.ru/Space_now/Satellite/Satellite_102_eng.html|archive-date=12 September 2007}}</ref> After the launch they drove to the mobile radio station to listen for signals from the satellite.<ref name="VR" /> They waited about 90 minutes to ensure that the satellite had made one orbit and was transmitting before Korolev called Soviet premier [[Nikita Khrushchev]].<ref name="redmoonPN">Brzezinski, pp. 158–159</ref>

On the first orbit the [[Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union]] (TASS) transmitted: "As result of great, intense work of scientific institutes and design bureaus the first artificial Earth satellite has been built".<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Спутник-1 – начало космической эры|publisher=Rustrana.ru|language=ru|date=21 July 2005|url=http://www.rustrana.ru/article.php?nid=4632|access-date=4 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929084309/http://www.rustrana.ru/article.php?nid=4632|archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> The R-7 core stage, with a mass of 7.5 tonnes and a length of 26 metres, also reached Earth orbit. It was a [[Apparent magnitude|first magnitude]] object following behind the satellite and visible at night. Deployable reflective panels were placed on the booster in order to increase its visibility for tracking.<ref name="redmoonPN" /> A small highly polished sphere, the satellite was barely visible at sixth magnitude, and thus harder to follow optically.<ref name="1957sat" /> The batteries ran out on 26 October 1957, after the satellite completed 326 orbits.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27956829/argusleader/|title=Reds Say Sputnik's Batteries Worn Out|agency=Associated Press |date=October 26, 1957|newspaper=Argus-Leader|location=Sioux Falls, South Dakota|page=1|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The core stage of the R-7 remained in orbit for two months until 2 December 1957, while Sputnik 1 orbited for three months, until 4 January 1958, having completed 1,440 orbits of the Earth.<ref name="rswSM" /> It is presumed Sputnik 1 may have broken up above the Western United States. A man in Encino, CA, woke up one morning and noticed something glowing in his backyard. Upon inspection, it proved to be plastic tubing of the type used in Sputnik. No one has been able to prove whether this in fact was part of the satellite.<ref>Flatow, Ira. “Did Sputnik Have a Fiery or Fractured End?” NPR, 4 Oct. 2007, www.npr.org/2007/10/04/14949891/did-sputnik-have-a-fiery-or-fractured-end. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.</ref>

== Reception ==
{{Further|Sputnik crisis|Space Race}}

[[File:Sputnik beep.ogg|thumb|''Sputnik 1''{{'s}} steady beep, which "both thrilled and terrified" listeners<ref name="Ackman, p. 280">Ackman, p. 280.</ref>]]

Organised through the [[citizen science]] project [[Operation Moonwatch]], teams of visual observers at 150 stations in the United States and other countries were alerted during the night to watch for the satellite at dawn and during the evening twilight as it passed overhead.<ref name="CR">{{cite news |title=Course Recorded |url=https://www.nytimes.com/partners/aol/special/sputnik/sput-02.html |work=The New York Times |first=Walter |last=Sullivan |date=5 October 1957}}</ref> The USSR requested amateur and professional radio operators to tape record the signal being transmitted from the satellite.<ref name="CR" /> One of the first observations of it in the western world was made at the school observatory in [[Rodewisch]] ([[Saxony]]).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sternwarte-rodewisch.de/seite/170646/beobachtung-sputnik-1.html | title=Sternwarte und Planetarium - die Beobachtung von Sputnik 1 }}</ref>

[[File:"BEEP ... BEEP ... To Bob's" "SURE WISH I HAD A BIG BOY HAMBURGER" The Big T 1958 (page 198 crop).jpg|left|thumb|A [[Bob's Big Boy]] advertisement spoofs Sputnik, 1958|alt=]]

News reports at the time pointed out that "anyone possessing a [[short wave]] receiver can hear the new Russian earth satellite as it hurtles over this area of the globe."<ref name="nyt"/> Directions, provided by the [[American Radio Relay League]], were to "Tune in 20 [[Hertz|megacycles]] sharply, by the time signals, given on that frequency. Then tune to slightly higher frequencies. The 'beep, beep' sound of the satellite can be heard each time it rounds the globe."<ref>"How To Tune", ''San Antonio Light'', 5 October 1957, p. 1</ref> The first recording of Sputnik 1's signal was made by [[RCA Corporation|RCA]] engineers near Riverhead, Long Island. They then drove the tape recording into Manhattan for broadcast to the public over [[NBC]] radio. However, as Sputnik rose higher over the East Coast, its signal was picked up by W2AEE, the ham radio station of [[Columbia University]]. Students working in the university's FM station, [[WKCR]], made a tape of this, and were the first to rebroadcast the Sputnik signal to the American public (or whoever could receive the FM station).<ref name="Ackman, p. 280" />

The Soviet Union agreed to transmit on frequencies that worked with the United States' existing infrastructure, but later announced the lower frequencies.<ref name="CR" /> Asserting that the launch "did not come as a surprise", the [[White House]] refused to comment on any military aspects.<ref>{{cite news |title=Senators Attack Missile Fund Cut |url=https://www.nytimes.com/partners/aol/special/sputnik/sput-10.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=6 October 1957 |access-date=20 January 2007}}</ref> On 5 October, the Naval Research Laboratory captured recordings of Sputnik 1 during four crossings over the United States.<ref name="CR" /> The [[Air Force Cambridge Research Center|USAF Cambridge Research Center]] collaborated with [[Bendix Aviation|Bendix-Friez]], [[Westinghouse Broadcasting]], and the [[Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory]] to obtain a video of Sputnik's rocket body crossing the pre-dawn sky of Baltimore, broadcast on 12 October by [[WBZ-TV]] in Boston.<ref>Ted Molczan, [http://www.satobs.org/sputnik1rocketbaltimore.html "Motion Picture of Sputnik 1 Rocket from Baltimore on October 12, 1957"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200229/http://www.satobs.org/sputnik1rocketbaltimore.html |date=29 October 2013}}, 30 June 2013.</ref>

The success of Sputnik 1 seemed to have changed minds around the world regarding a shift in power to the Soviets.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/sputnik/Reaction.pdf|title=Reaction to the Soviet Satellite: A Preliminary Evaluation |date=October 16, 1957 |website=White House Office of the Staff Research Group |via=The Eisenhower Presidential Library |id=Box 35, Special Projects: Sputnik, Missiles and Related Matters; NAID #12082706 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224102136/https://eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/sputnik/Reaction.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=28 April 2015}}</ref>

The USSR's launch of Sputnik 1 spurred the United States to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, later [[DARPA]]) in February 1958 to regain a technological lead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.darpa.mil/body/arpa_darpa.html |title=ARPA/DARPA |access-date=21 May 2007 |publisher=Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407064829/http://www.darpa.mil/body/arpa_darpa.html |archive-date=7 April 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.darpa.mil/history.html |title=DARPA: History |access-date=7 December 2009 |publisher=Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015051521/http://www.darpa.mil/history.html |archive-date=15 October 2009}}</ref><ref>[http://www.netvalley.com/intval.html "Roads and Crossroads of Internet History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127082435/http://www.netvalley.com/intval.html |date=27 January 2016}} by Gregory Gromov</ref>

In Britain, the media and population initially reacted with a mixture of fear for the future, but also amazement about human progress. Many newspapers and magazines heralded the arrival of the [[Space Age]].<ref>Green, pp. 186–187</ref> However, when the USSR launched [[Sputnik 2]], containing the dog [[Laika]], the media narrative returned to one of anti-Communism and many people sent protests to the Soviet embassy and the RSPCA.<ref>Nicholas Barnett. "'Russia Wins Space Race': The British Press and the Sputnik Moment, 1957". ''Media History'', 19: 2 (2013), 182–195</ref>

=== Propaganda ===
[[File:Sputnik-stamp-ussr.jpg|thumb|upright|A Soviet 40 kopek stamp, showing the satellite's orbit]]
Sputnik 1 was not immediately used for Soviet propaganda. The Soviets had kept quiet about their earlier accomplishments in rocketry, fearing that it would lead to secrets being revealed and failures being exploited by the West.<ref name="bessonov">Bessonov, K. (2007). Sputnik's legacy. ''Moscow News'', ''41''. Retrieved from {{cite web |url=http://www.mnweekly.ru/news/20071004/55280383.html |title=Moscow News – Sputnik's Legacy |access-date=29 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090526215946/https://mnweekly.ru/news/20071004/55280383.html |archive-date=26 May 2009}}.</ref> When the Soviets began using Sputnik in their propaganda, they emphasized pride in the achievement of Soviet technology, arguing that it demonstrated the Soviets' superiority over the West. People were encouraged to listen to Sputnik's signals on the radio<ref name="bessonov" /> and to look out for Sputnik in the night sky. While Sputnik itself had been highly polished, its small size made it barely visible to the naked eye. What most watchers actually saw was the much more visible 26-metre (85 foot) core stage of the R-7.<ref name="bessonov" /> Shortly after the launch of PS-1, Khrushchev pressed Korolev to launch another satellite to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the [[October Revolution]], on 7 November 1957.<ref>Siddiqi, p. 172.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVt0BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA334 |title=Essays on the History of Respiratory Physiology |last=West |first=John B. |year=2015 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4939-2362-5|pages=334–335 |language=en |chapter=Historical Aspects of Early Soviet/Russian Manned Space Program}}</ref>

The launch of Sputnik 1 surprised the American public, and shattered the perception created by American propaganda of the United States as the technological superpower, and the Soviet Union as a backward country.<ref name="legacy">[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/opinion/04thur3.html The Legacy of Sputnik] [Editorial]. (2007). ''The New York Times'', p. 28.</ref> Privately, however, the [[CIA]] and President Eisenhower were aware of progress being made by the Soviets on Sputnik from secret spy plane imagery.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Sputnik Declassified |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-sputnik-declassified/ |series=NOVA |series-link=Nova (American TV series) |date=6 November 2007 |season=34 |number=15 |access-date=3 January 2019 |archive-date=7 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107002645/https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-sputnik-declassified/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Together with the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] (JPL), the [[Army Ballistic Missile Agency]] built [[Explorer 1]], and launched it on 31 January 1958. Before work was completed, however, the Soviet Union launched a second satellite, Sputnik 2, on 3 November 1957. Meanwhile, the televised failure of ''[[Vanguard TV-3]]'' on 6 December 1957 deepened American dismay over the country's position in the [[Space Race]]. The Americans took a more aggressive stance in the emerging space race,<ref>Wilson, C. (n.d.). "Sputnik: a Mixed Legacy". ''U.S. News & World Report'', ''143''(12), (37–38).</ref> resulting in an emphasis on science and technological research, and reforms in many areas from the military to education systems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Morring |first1=F. |year=2007 |title=Down To Earth |journal=Aviation Week and Space Technology |volume=166 |issue=12 |page=129}}</ref> The federal government began investing in science, engineering, and mathematics at all levels of education.<ref name="legacy" /><ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1080/14682740701791334 |last1=Peoples |first1=C. |s2cid=154436145 |year=2008 |title=Sputnik and 'skill thinking' revisited: technological determinism in American responses to the Soviet missile threat |journal=Cold War History |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=55–75}}</ref> An advanced research group was assembled for military purposes.<ref name="legacy" /> These research groups developed weapons such as ICBMs and missile defence systems, as well as spy satellites for the U.S.<ref name="legacy" />

== Legacy ==
{{Globalize|date=October 2023|2=Western World}}
Initially, U.S. President [[Dwight Eisenhower]] was not surprised by Sputnik 1. He had been forewarned of the R-7's capabilities by information derived from [[Lockheed U-2|U-2 spy plane]] overflight photos, as well as signals and telemetry intercepts.<ref>Lashmar, p. 146.</ref><ref>Peebles (2000), p. 168.</ref> General [[James M. Gavin]] wrote in 1958 that he had predicted to the [[Army Scientific Advisory Panel]] on 12 September 1957 that the Soviets would launch a satellite within 30 days, and that on 4 October he and [[Wernher von Braun]] had agreed that a launch was imminent.<ref name=war&peace>{{cite book|first=James Maurice|last=Gavin|title=War And Peace In The Space Age|publisher=Harper |edition=1958 |url=https://archive.org/details/warpeaceinspacea00gav_7q4/page/17/mode/1up?view=theater |url-access=registration|access-date=April 3, 2015|via=Internet Archive |page=17 |format=hardcover|asin=B000OKLL8G}}</ref> The Eisenhower administration's first response was low-key and almost dismissive.<ref>Divine, p. xiv.</ref> Eisenhower was even pleased that the USSR, not the U.S., would be the first to test the waters of the still-uncertain [[space law|legal status of orbital satellite overflights]].<ref>McDougall, p. 134.</ref> Eisenhower had suffered the Soviet protests and shoot-downs of [[Project Genetrix]] (Moby Dick) balloons<ref>Peebles (1991), p. 180.</ref> and was concerned about the probability of a U-2 being shot down.<ref>Burrows, p. 236.</ref> To set a precedent for "freedom of space" before the launch of America's secret WS-117L spy satellites,<ref>Peebles (1997), p. 26.</ref> the U.S. had launched [[Project Vanguard]] as its own "civilian" satellite entry for the International Geophysical Year.<ref>McDougall, p. 118.</ref> Eisenhower greatly underestimated the reaction of the American public, who were shocked by the launch of Sputnik and by the televised failure of the Vanguard Test Vehicle 3 launch attempt. The sense of anxiety was inflamed by Democratic politicians, who portrayed the United States as woefully behind.<ref>Divine, p. xv.</ref> One of the many books that suddenly appeared for the lay-audience noted seven points of "impact" upon the nation: Western leadership, Western strategy and tactics, missile production, applied research, basic research, education, and democratic culture.<ref name="CoxStoiko69" /> As public and the government became interested in space and related science and technology, the phenomenon was sometimes dubbed the "Sputnik craze".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Morgan|first=Bill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B3CFoHfJk6QC&q=%22Sputnik+craze%22&pg=PT291|title=I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg|year=2007|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-1-4406-7799-1|page=291|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Stamps 2007 Ukrposhta 859.jpg|thumb|Sputnik 1, [[Sergei Korolev]] and [[Valentin Glushko]] on a 2007 Ukrainian stamp]]

The U.S. soon had a number of successful satellites, including Explorer 1, [[Project SCORE]], and [[Courier 1B]]. However, public reaction to the [[Sputnik crisis]] spurred America to action in the Space Race, leading to the creation of both the [[Advanced Research Projects Agency]] (renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, in 1972),<ref>Brzezinski, p. 274.</ref> and [[NASA]] (through the [[National Aeronautics and Space Act]]),<ref>McDougall, p. 172.</ref> as well as increased U.S. government spending on scientific research and education through the [[National Defense Education Act]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14829195|title=Sputnik Left Legacy for U.S. Science Education|date=September 30, 2007|last1=Abramson|first1=Larry|publisher=NPR|access-date=February 3, 2019}}</ref>

Sputnik also contributed directly to a new emphasis on science and technology in American schools. With a sense of urgency, Congress enacted the 1958 National Defense Education Act, which provided low-interest loans for college tuition to students majoring in mathematics and science.<ref>Zhao, p. 22.</ref><ref>Neal, ''et al'', pp. 3–4.</ref> After the launch of Sputnik, a poll conducted and published by the University of Michigan showed that 26% of Americans surveyed thought that Russian sciences and engineering were superior to that of the United States. (A year later, however, that figure had dropped to 10% as the U.S. began launching its own satellites into space.)<ref>Project Mercury: Main-in-Space Program of NASA, Report of the Committee on Aeronautical Sciences, United States Senate, 1 December 1959</ref>

One consequence of the Sputnik shock was the perception of a "[[missile gap]]". This became a dominant issue in the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 presidential campaign]].<ref>Prados, p. 80.</ref>

The Communist Party newspaper ''[[Pravda]]'' only printed a few paragraphs about Sputnik 1 on 4 October.<ref>Harford, p. 121.</ref>

Sputnik also inspired a generation of engineers and scientists. Harrison Storms, the North American designer who was responsible for the [[X-15]] rocket plane, and went on to head the effort to design the [[Apollo command and service module]] and [[Saturn V]] launch vehicle's second stage, was moved by the launch of Sputnik to think of space as being the next step for America.<ref>Gray, p. 41.</ref> Astronauts [[Alan Shepard]] (who was the first American in space) and [[Deke Slayton]] later wrote of how the sight of Sputnik 1 passing overhead inspired them to their new careers.<ref>Shepard & Slayton, p. 43.</ref>

The launch of Sputnik 1 led to the resurgence of the suffix ''[[-nik]]'' in the English language.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79BV7ZOxI1AC&pg=PA109|title=English Word-formation: A History of Research, 1960–1995|last=Štekauer|first=Pavol|date=2000|publisher=Gunter Narr Verlag|isbn=978-3-8233-5210-5|pages=109|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B7lIDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA65|title=Yiddish & English: The Story of Yiddish in America|last=Steinmetz|first=Sol|year=2001|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=978-0-8173-1103-2|page=65|language=en}}</ref> The American writer [[Herb Caen]] was inspired to coin the term "[[beatnik]]" in an article about the [[Beat Generation]] in the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' on 2 April 1958.<ref>{{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=26 November 1995 |access-date=30 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119223622/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F1995%2F11%2F26%2FPK72111.DTL |archive-date=19 January 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Flag of Kaluga.svg|thumb|right|The flag of Kaluga, featuring Sputnik 1]]

The flag of the Russian city of [[Kaluga]] (which, as [[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]]'s place of work and residency, is very dedicated to space and space travel) features a small Sputnik in the canton.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaluga city (Kaluga Region, Russia) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ru-40-kl.html |website=www.crwflags.com |access-date=7 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312193405/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ru-40-kl.html |archive-date=12 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 3 October 2007 [[Google]] celebrated Sputnik's 50th anniversary with a [[Google Doodle]].<ref>{{cite web |date=27 February 2024 |title=Sputnik - 50th Anniversary |url=https://doodles.google/doodle/sputnik-50th-anniversary/ |website=Google}}</ref>

=== Satellite navigation ===
{{main|Satellite navigation|Global Positioning System}}
The launch of Sputnik also planted the seeds for the development of modern satellite navigation. Two American physicists, William Guier and George Weiffenbach, at Johns Hopkins University's [[Applied Physics Laboratory]] (APL) decided to monitor Sputnik's radio transmissions<ref name="guier-weiffenbach">{{cite journal|last1=Guier|first1=William H.|last2=Weiffenbach|first2=George C.|title=Genesis of Satellite Navigation|journal=Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest|volume=19|issue=1|pages=178–181|year=1997|url=http://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/td/td1901/guier.pdf|access-date=April 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512002742/http://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/td/td1901/guier.pdf|archive-date=May 12, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and within hours realized that, because of the [[Doppler effect]], they could pinpoint where the satellite was along its orbit. The Director of the APL gave them access to their [[UNIVAC I|UNIVAC]] computer to do the then heavy calculations required.

Early the next year, Frank McClure, the deputy director of the APL, asked Guier and Weiffenbach to investigate the inverse problem: pinpointing the user's location, given the satellite's. At the time, the Navy was developing the submarine-launched [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]] missile, which required them to know the submarine's location. This led them and APL to develop the [[Transit (satellite)|TRANSIT]] system,<ref>{{cite book|title=Where good ideas come from, the natural history of innovation|author=Steven Johnson|publisher=Riverhead Books|place=New York|year=2010}}</ref> a forerunner of modern [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) satellites.

== Surviving examples ==
[[File:Russian Embassy in Madrid (Spain) 03.jpg|thumb|right|Sputnik replica in Spain]]

===Backups===
At least two vintage duplicates of Sputnik 1 exist, built apparently as backup units. The first resides near [[Moscow]] in the corporate museum of [[Energia (corporation)|Energia]], the modern descendant of Korolev's design bureau, where it is on display by appointment only.<ref name="CSTopTen">{{Cite web |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-092507a.html#ten |title=The Top Ten Sputniks |year=2016 |publisher=[[collectSPACE]] |work=Collectspace.com |access-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221021448/http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-092507a.html#ten |archive-date=21 February 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.npointercos.jp/Energiamuseum.html |title=Energia Museum |year=2016 |publisher=NPO InterCoS |work=Npointercos.jp |access-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315122337/http://npointercos.jp/Energiamuseum.html |archive-date=15 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>  The second is a flight-ready backup at the [[Cosmosphere]] space museum in [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson, United States]], which also has an engineering model of the [[Sputnik 2]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hall of Space Museum |url=https://cosmo.org/explore/attractions/hall-of-space-museum/ |website=[[Cosmosphere]] |date=2 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022023055/https://cosmo.org/explore/attractions/hall-of-space-museum/ |archive-date=October 22, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Models===
The [[Museum of Flight]] in [[Seattle, United States]] has a Sputnik 1, but it has no internal components, though it does have casings and moulded fittings inside (as well as evidence of battery wear), which may be an engineering model. Authenticated by the [[Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics]] in Moscow, the unit was auctioned in 2001 and purchased by an anonymous private buyer, who donated it to the museum.<ref name="CSTopTen" />

The [[Sputnik-1 EMC/EMI lab model|Sputnik 1 EMC/EMI]] is a class of full-scale [[Test article (aerospace)|laboratory models]] of the satellite. The models, manufactured by [[Energia (corporation)|OKB-1]] and NII-885 (headed by Mikhail Ryazansky), were introduced on 15 February 1957.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Preparations for Sputnik launch|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik_preflight.html|access-date=2020-11-23|website=www.russianspaceweb.com}}</ref> They were made to test ground [[electromagnetic compatibility]] (EMC) and [[electromagnetic interference]] (EMI).<ref name=":0" />

===Replicas===
In 1959, the Soviet Union donated a replica of Sputnik to the [[United Nations]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.unmultimedia.org/s/photo/detail/704/0070484.html|title=UN Visitors View Model of USSR Sputnik|first=UN|last=Photo/MB|newspaper=United Nations Photo |date=1 December 1959|publisher=UN Multimedia|access-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145149/http://www.unmultimedia.org/s/photo/detail/704/0070484.html|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> There are other full-size Sputnik replicas (with varying degrees of accuracy) on display in locations around the world, including the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in the United States,<ref name="CSTopTen" /> the [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum]] in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co40283/replica-sputnik-i-satellite|title=Replica Sputnik I satellite|publisher=Science Museum Group|access-date=February 3, 2019}}</ref> the [[Powerhouse Museum]] in Australia,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collection.maas.museum/object/156934|title=Replica of the Sputnik-1 Satellite|publisher=Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences|access-date=February 3, 2019}}</ref> and outside the Russian embassy in Spain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story of Sputnik 1
 |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/sputnik-1-first-artificial-satellite-3071226 |access-date=23 July 2025 |website=ThoughtCo}}</ref>

Three one-third scale student-built replicas of Sputnik 1 were deployed from the [[Mir|Mir space station]] between 1997 and 1999. The first, named [[Sputnik 40]] to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, was deployed in November 1997.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27927297/daily_record/|title=Russians Launch Sputnik replica, Trigger Memories of First Satellite|last1=Stradling|first1=Richard|date=November 17, 1997|newspaper=Daily Record|location=Morristown, New Jersey|page=6|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> [[Sputnik 41]] was launched a year later, and [[Sputnik 99]] was deployed in February 1999. A fourth replica was launched, but never deployed, and was destroyed when Mir was [[Deorbit of Mir|deorbited]].<ref name="CSTopTen" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/sputnik-40.htm |title=Sputnik 40, 41, 99 (RS 17, 18, 19) |first=Gunter |last=Krebs |publisher=Gunter's Space Page |access-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235250/http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/sputnik-40.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Private owners===
Two more Sputniks are claimed to be in the personal collections of American entrepreneurs [[Richard Garriott]]<ref name="CSTopTen" /> and [[Jay S. Walker]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Levy |first=Steven |date=22 September 2008 |title=Browse the Artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker's Library |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-10/ff_walker?currentPage=all |access-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228105106/http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-10/ff_walker?currentPage=all |archive-date=28 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight|Soviet Union}}
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* [[Yuri Gagarin]] — Soviet [[List of cosmonauts|cosmonaut]] and first human to journey into [[outer space]]
* [[Donald B. Gillies]] — one of the first to calculate the Sputnik 1 orbit
* [[Kerim Kerimov]] — one of the architects behind Sputnik 1
* [[Valentina Tereshkova]] — first woman in space
* [[ILLIAC I]] — first computer to calculate the orbit of Sputnik 1
* [[Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes]]
* [[Timeline of Russian innovation]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ackmann |first=Martha |year=2004 |title=The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight |location=New York |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-375-75893-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bilstein |first=Roger E. |year=1980 |title=Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles |location=Washington, DC |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |oclc=5891638}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brzezinski |first=Matthew B. |year=2007 |title=Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age |location=New York |publisher=Henry Holt and Co. |isbn=978-0-8050-8147-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Burrows |first=William E. |year=2001 |title=By Any Means Necessary: America's Secret Air War in the Cold War |location=New York |publisher=Farrar, Straus & Giroux |isbn=978-0-374-11747-4}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Cox |first1=Donald |last2=Stoiko |first2=Michael |year=1958 |title=Spacepower: What It Means To You |location=Philadelphia, PA |publisher=The John C. Winston Company |oclc=2641757}}
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* {{Cite book |last=Golovanov |first=Yaroslav |author-link=Yaroslav Golovanov |year=1994 |script-title=ru:Королев: факты и мифы |trans-title=Korolev: Facts and Myths |language=ru |location=Moscow |publisher=Nauka |isbn=978-5-02-000822-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Mike |author-link=Mike Gray |year=1992 |title=Angle of Attack: Harrison Storms and the Race to the Moon |location=New York |publisher=W. W. Norton & Co. |isbn=978-0-393-01892-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/angleofattackhar0000gray}}
*{{Cite book |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4202.pdf|last=Green |first=Constance McLaughlin |author-link=Constance McLaughlin Green |year=1970 |title=Vanguard: A History|series=NASA Historical Series|location=Washington, DC |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |oclc=204635|id=SP-4202}}
* {{Cite book |last=Harford |first=James J. |year=1997 |title=Korolev: How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon |location=New York |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-14853-1}}
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* {{Cite book |last=Peebles |first=Curtis |year=2000 |title=Shadow Flight: America's Secret Air War Against the Soviet Union |location=Novato, CA |publisher=Presideo Press |isbn=978-0-89141-700-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/shadowflightsame0000peeb}}
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* {{citation|title=Top 10 Of Everything |first=Paul|last=Terry|publisher=Octopus Publishing Group Ltd 2013|year=2013|isbn=978-0-600-62887-3}}
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* {{Cite book |last=Zhao |first=Yong |year=2009 |title=Catching Up Or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization |publisher=[[ASCD]] |isbn=978-1-4166-0873-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/catchinguporlead0000zhao}}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Chertok |first=B. E. |author-link=Boris Chertok |year=1999 |title=Rakety i li︠u︡di: lunnai︠a︡ gonka |trans-title=Rockets & People: The Moon Race |language=ru |location=Moscow |publisher=Mashinostroenie |isbn=978-5-217-02942-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dickson |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Dickson (writer) |year=2007 |title=Sputnik: The Shock of the Century |publisher=Walker & Co. |isbn=978-0-8027-1365-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/sputnikshockofce00dick}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gerchik |first=Konstantin Vasilyevich |year=1994 |title=Proryv v kosmos |trans-title=A Breakthrough in Space |language=ru |location=Moscow |publisher=Veles |isbn=978-5-87955-001-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mieczkowski |first=Yanek |year=2013 |title=Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment: The Race for Space and World Prestige |location=Ithaca, NY |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-6793-6}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Sputnik-1}}

*[http://sputnik.tass.com/ Satellite One: The story of the first man-made device in space] by [[TASS|Russian News Agency TASS]]
*[http://eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/sputnik.html Documents related to Sputnik 1 and the Space Race] at the [[Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home|Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110916051640/http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/SpaceAge/index.html 50th Anniversary of the Space Age & Sputnik] – an interactive media by NASA
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081229002652/http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct07/5584 Remembering ''Sputnik'': Sir Arthur C. Clarke] – an interview for ''[[IEEE Spectrum]]''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110819000814/http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=Sputnik Sputnik Program Page] by [http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/ NASA's Solar System Exploration]
* [https://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/ NASA on Sputnik 1]
* [http://sputnik.infospace.ru/ A joint Russian project of Ground microprocessing information systems SRC "PLANETA" and Space Monitoring Information Support laboratory (IKI RAN) dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Sputnik 1]
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=1957-10-07_New_Moon|description="New Moon. Reds Launch First Space Satellite, 1957/10/07 (1957)"}}

{{Orbital launches in 1957}}
{{Russian space program}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sputnik|1]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1957]]
[[Category:1957 in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Amateur radio history]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1958]]
[[Category:Soviet inventions]]
[[Category:Satellites of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Nikita Khrushchev]]
[[Category:1957 in international relations]]
[[Category:History of electronic engineering]]
[[Category:First artificial satellites of a country]]
[[Category:Cold War terminology]]
[[Category:1958 in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Technology demonstration satellites]]
[[Category:Geospace monitoring satellites]]
[[Category:Satellites by type]]
[[Category:Successful space missions]]