It is now 65 years since the launch of Sputnik 2 on November 3 1957 by the Soviet Union. It was only the second spacecraft to venture into space and followed the successful launch of Sputnik 1 one month earlier. Sputnik 1 was a small metal sphere whose only piece of equipment was a radio… Continue reading Sputnik 2
Tag: Sputnik
4 October 1957 – Sputnik 1
Despite the somewhat difficult relations between Russia and the West in the last few years, it is worth looking back 65 years to October 1957 and the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1. This historic event, which caught many in the West by complete surprise, was the beginning of the space age. To… Continue reading 4 October 1957 – Sputnik 1
The early days of the space race
In my previous post I talked about two significant successes for the Soviet Union in 1957: the first artificial satellite in orbit in October and the first living creature, a dog named Laika, in orbit in November. In December of that year the Americans had a humiliating failure when the Vanguard spacecraft exploded in a… Continue reading The early days of the space race
4 October 1957 – the start of the space age
Exactly sixty years ago today, on 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit around the Earth. This is considered to be the beginning of the space age. Before this date there were no man made satellites in space but on every single day since then there have been… Continue reading 4 October 1957 – the start of the space age
Happy New Year 2017
Happy New Year to all my readers and followers. I hope that you all will continue to read and enjoy my blog 🙂 For many people living in the USA the most memorable event of the coming year will not be the inauguration of the new president but the total solar eclipse, which I'll talk about… Continue reading Happy New Year 2017
Explaining Science 