* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Sputnik I Satellite

Blobrana · L

Sputnik-1 Signal (audio)

Spoiler

Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere, after travelling about 60 million km and spending 3 months in orbit.

Blobrana · L

Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere, after travelling about 60 million km and spending 3 months in orbit.
Read more

Blobrana · L

How to build your own Sputnik

It seems incredible that the technology that went into building the first successful satellite 50 years ago can now be found lying around the average house. You could even build one yourself...

In simple terms, the Sputnik satellite was a metal sphere almost 2ft (61cm) in diameter, containing a radio transmitter. It also had a battery; equipment to measure temperature; barometric and temperature activated switches; and a fan to stop it getting too hot.

Read more

Blobrana · L

When Sputnik became the first manmade satellite to enter space on Oct. 4, 1957, its alien beeping shocked America.
Its signal stopped after just three weeks, and three months later sky gazers could no longer see a little moving dot. Many people thought that Sputnik was lost for ever.
But Bob Morgan claims to have pieces from the original Sputnik. He lives near Santa Barbara and runs a jet ski business. He describes the morning of Dec. 8, 1957, when his father woke up to a glowing object in their yard.

Read more

See also Sputnik IV

Blobrana · L

For nearly 50 years, Bob Morgan and his family have kept a box full of charred debris that they swear fell out of the early morning sky on Dec. 8, 1957.
Although no one has ever confirmed what the objects were, Mr. Morgan has long believed that he has a piece — or 13 pieces to be exact — of one of the most famous objects ever to fly: Sputnik I, the first man-made object to orbit the earth.

Read more