A thin plume of orange rising into the Soviet sky on October 4, 1957, carried aloft humankind's first artificial satellite. A 22-inch, 184-pound, beeping sphere, Sputnik ("Fellow Traveler") marked the beginning of a new chapter in...

Sputnik Launched October 4, 1957 Decommissioned March 25, 1961 At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union initiated a space program named Sputnik, which made such historic achievements as putting the first satellite in Earth’s orbit; it...

Sputnik is the name given to a series of scientific research satellites launched by the Soviet Union during the period from 1957 to 1961. The satellites ranged in size and capability from the 83.6-kilogram (184.3-pound) Sputnik 1, which served only as...

The Sputnik program was a series of robotic spacecraft missions launched by the Soviet Union. The first of these, Sputnik 1, launched the first man-made object to orbit the Earth. That launch took place on October 4, 1957 as part of the International...

This country has long prided itself on the many firsts accomplished during the heyday of a space program that dates back to the Soviet days. This fall, Russian cosmonauts will perform what perhaps will be a bittersweet first: the launch of a monument-in-orbit, a...

Sputnik lands One of original Soviet satellites at Oshkosh museum By MEG JONES of the Journal Sentinel staff Wednesday, June 27, 2001 Oshkosh -- It doesn't look like much -- mostly like a big silver beach ball with antennas...