The image above is a replica of Sputnik by NASA and is in the public domain
I was sitting in 10th grade History Class at the new Kasson-Mantorville (MN) High School on Friday October 4, 1957 when word came that the Russians had launched the 1st ever satellite into space and it was orbiting Earth!!! It was called "Sputnik 1" and would be the first of a Sputnik series.
The satellite's success "...precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space Race within the Cold War."
"The satellite travelled at 29,000 kilometers (18,000 mi) per hour, taking 96.2 minutes to complete an orbit, and emitted radio signals at 20.005 and 40.002 MHz which were monitored by amateur radio operators throughout the world. The signals continued for 22 days until the transmitter batteries ran out on 26 October 1957. Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth's atmosphere, after travelling about 60 million km (37 million miles) and spending 3 months in orbit."
The satellite was 23 inches in diameter and weighed about 184 lb. (110 lb. of which was batteries). It had a 1 watt transmitter operating a two frequencies: 20.005 MHz and 40.002 MHz It transmitted an audible "beep-beep" radio pulse. " Directions, provided by the American Radio Relay League were to tune in 20 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"
I didn't have an amateur radio receiver at the time to pick up these frequencies (I would a year later). I therefore looked through an army surplus catalog and ordered a small black rectangular box which was supposed to receive one or both of Sputnik's frequencies. It came by train a week or two later, in time to hear Sputnik's signals before they stopped transmitting on October 26. Unfortunately the heavy rectangular box, which looked like a module which fit into a larger bay of electronics, had no instructions, no power supply, no speaker or earphones. I was not to hear Sputnik's signals from that piece of equipment!
"The launch of Sputnik both united the people of the Soviet Union and humiliated the United States with its lack of comparable technology"
"However, the United States' temporary status as second-rate technological superpower brought great embarrassment to the American people. Some theorize that this embarrassment provided the much-needed push that accelerated America's moon landing."
Note: All the quotes in this blog are from Wikipedia
