Sputnik

Sputnik is the name of the very first group of satellites sent into space by the Soviet Union. These satellites were launched from 1957 to 1961. Sputnik means “traveling companion” in Russian.

 Sputnik 1, the first satellite, was launched on Oct. 4, 1957 from the Tyuratam cosmodrome. Sputnik 1 was launched by a 92 ft. (28m) intercontinental ballistic missile. Sputnik 1 was designed by Sergei Korolev, a Soviet engineer and scientist. The project was top secret. Sputnik 1 was shaped like a ball and had four antennae that extended once in orbit. It was 23 inches ( 58cm) in diameter and weighed 184.3 lbs. (83.6 kg). It studied the temperature in space and sent radio signals back to Earth. Sputnik 1 circled the Earth in 1.5 hours.

Sputnik 2 was launched on Nov. 3, 1957. Also on this day the first passenger was sent into space. The passenger was Laika, a female dog. Scientists wanted to see how living animals would survive in space. Laika had food, water and fresh air. She lived for one week until Sputnik 2 lost electric power.

Sputnik 1 and 2 shocked the United States. The U.S. didn’t realize that the Soviet space program was so good. The United States began to work much harder on its own space program. President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. This created NASA. The race to put a man on the moon had begun!

Sputnik 3 was launched on May 15, 1958. It carried the first space laboratory. This lab had 2,129 lbs. (958 kg) of instruments. The instruments studied what it was like outside the satellite. Sputnik 3 used solar energy to operate the lab.

There was no Sputnik 4 because the Soviets worked on the Luna spacecraft at this time. Dogs returned to space on Sputniks 5,6,9 and 10. Sputnik 5 was launched on August 19, 1960 and carried two dogs who came back home alive. These Sputniks were practice for sending the first man into space.

Sputniks 7 and 8 were launched in 1961. Once in space, they were used as launch platforms for the Venera spacecraft, which studied Venus.

Sputnik 10 was the last Sputnik satellite.  It was a successful program that captured the world's imagination.