First Satellite in Space- Sputnik 1

First Satellite -Sputnik 1

Credit: Detlev van Ravenswaay / Getty

SPUTNIK-1

Background Behind Sputnik-1 

After World War -2 , There was competition between countries in the world to become Superpower. USA and USSR (Soviet Russia) both were Major powers in the world. There was huge competition among both Countries to control the world in there hands. This Competition turns into rivelary . So it results into Space race . Sputnik 1 successfully launched and entered Earth's orbit. Thus, began the space age. The successful launch shocked the world, giving the former Soviet Union the distinction of putting the first human-made object into space. The word 'Sputnik' originally meant 'fellow traveler,' but has become synonymous with 'satellite' in modern Russian. Sputnik-1 was the first artificial Satellite. It was launched into an elliptical Low Earth Orbit by the Soviet Union (Russia) on 4 October 1957 . It orbited for three weeks before its batteries died and then orbited silently for two months before it fell back into ATmospeher  on the 4th January 1958.Sputnik had a diameter of 22 inches and weighed 184 pounds and circled Earth once every hour and 36 minutes. Traveling at 18,000 miles an hour, its elliptical orbit had an apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 584 miles and a perigee (nearest point) of 143 miles.

Launching of Sputnik 1 Satellite

                                                                It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm (23 in) in diameter with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. Its radio signal was easily detectable by radio amateurs,  and the 65° orbital inclination and duration of its orbit made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth .The satellite's unanticipated success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, part of the Cold War. The launch was the beginning of a new era of political, military, technological and scientific developments. The word "sputnik" is Russian for satellite when interpreted in an astronomical context its other meanings are spouse or traveling companion. 

Why was SPUTNIK-1 created?

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.

Impact of First Satellite on World

Sputnik made it possible to test satellite pressurisation, to study radio wave transmission and the density of the atmosphere, and allowed scientists to learn how to track objects in orbit. Sputnik 1 orbited Earth every 96 minutes, and the fact that it passed over the USA seven times a day worried many Americans.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.

Credit: HiP Wallpapers

Interesting Facts About Sputnik-1

1. Sputnik was only 23 inches in diameter but weighed about 184 pounds

2. At 500miles up , at the speed of 18000 miles an hour, Sputnic circled the globe every 96 Minutes, making 1440 orbits around the Earth before beginning its re-entry

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