Fifty years ago today, on October 4, 1957, Sputnik (above left) was launched by the Soviet Union. This commemorative occasion was discussed today in an article on ScienceDaily. Sputnik was the world's first artificial satellite and it's name literally means "fellow traveler". The satellite was about the size of a basketball and weighed only 183 pounds. The launch of Sputnik, was the first of many scientific advancements and NASA claimed "As a technical achievement, Sputnik caught the world's attention and the American public off-guard." People began to fear that if they could launch a satellite, they could easily attack with ballistic missiles. Less than a month after the launch of Sputnik, the Russians launched Sputnik II (above right). This satellite carried a heavier payload and a dog named Laika (below). The Americans didn't enter the space race until January 31, 1958, when we launched Explorer I, a satellite that would eventually discover the magnetic radiation belts that surround the Earth. Sputnik also helped move the U.S. in the right direction, when NASA was created in its response on October 1, 1958. Since then, NASA has sent humans to the moon, sent satellites and spacecrafts all over the universe and is now extensively exploring Mars.
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