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50th Anniversary of Sputnik: Traveling Companion


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#103621 by @ 05.10.2007 00:00 - nach oben -
50th Anniversary of Sputnik: Traveling Companion


Explanation:

Sputnik means "traveling companion".

Despite the innocuous sounding name, the
launch of planet Earth's first artificial moon,
Sputnik
1
, by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957,
changed the world and set in motion events which resulted in the
creation of NASA
and the race to the Moon.

Sputnik 1
was a 184 pound, 22 inch diameter sphere
with four whip antennas
connected to battery powered transmitters.

The transmitters broadcast a continuous "beeping" signal to an
astounded earthbound audience for 23 days.

A short month later, on November 3, the Soviet Union followed this
success by
launching a dog
into orbit aboard
Sputnik 2.




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