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 prepared the way for sending the first human aboard a spacecraft into Earth’s orbit. In 1955 the Soviet Union began construction of the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan near the town of Tyuratam. One of the top priorities at the new base was the A-1, the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Launched on August 3, 1957, the A-1 missile traveled a distance of 5,000 miles, thus laying the foundation for the first artificial satellite. On September 18, 1957, the Soviet Union announced its intention to launch a satellite but withheld its name—Sputnik, which means traveling companion.
Both the A-1 and Sputnik were designed by the Soviet Union’s premier space engineer, Sergei Korolov. Nothing was known about Korolov in the West, and the envious Americans called him the “Chief Designer.” He had been imprisoned twice during Joseph Stalin’s rule but had survived to become the moving force behind the Soviet space program under Nikita Khrushchev. Korolov’s name was not made public until his death in January 1966. The Soviet Union launched the first Sputnik on October 4, 1957, one of the great dates in history because it marked the first time humans were able to successfully send an object beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The event was the beginning of the space age.
Sputnik 1 was essentially a 184-pound radio transmitter enclosed in a steel case with four antennas sticking out of it. The satellite’s instruments were designed to study the density, temperature, and concentration of electrons in the upper atmosphere and to transmit the results back to Earth. It took 95 minutes to circle Earth in an elliptical orbit—the altitude varied from about 140 to 560 miles. Sputnik 1 made about 4,000 trips around Earth before gradually losing altitude and disintegrating as it re-entered denser atmosphere on January 4, 1958.
The world was impressed with the Soviet Union’s accomplishment, especially since much of the country had been devastated by the Stalinist dictatorship and World War II. The space program had started only after the Great Patriotic War, as World War II is called in the Soviet Union. The reaction in the United States was alarmist, however: the launch occurred at the height of the cold war, and Americans saw it as a major victory for their adversaries. A Congressional investigation questioned why the United States had fallen behind, and the public demanded results quickly. This national shock caused two reactions—the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in July 1958 and a renewed emphasis on teaching science in U.S. schools.
The relatively simple technology of Sputnik 1 was quickly followed by sophisticated advancements. The Soviets launched Sputnik 2 less than a month later, on November 3, 1957. It was much bigger, weighing 1,120 pounds, and it flew at a much higher altitude. More impressively, the spacecraft carried a passenger, a female dog named Laika. Obviously, Laika’s flight was intended to test the possibility of sending humans into space. Laika suffered no ill effects from weightlessness and was able to move about and eat food. Unfortunately, the oxygen in Laika’s cabin gave out after a week and she died. Sputnik 2 stayed in orbit for 163 days before disintegrating in April 1958.
Sputnik 3, launched a month later, was much larger than its two predecessors, weighing a ton and a half. The spacecraft contained various instruments for measuring the pressure and composition of the upper atmosphere, the incidence of micrometeoroids, and solar and cosmic radiation. In effect, Sputnik 3 was a miniature science lab and was even equipped with an onboard computer. It stayed in orbit for 691 days.
After Sputnik 3 the Soviets began making plans to put a human into space, as was clearly indicated by Sputnik 4. Launched two years later, on May 15, 1960, the spacecraft was the first of the Vostok series, which contained a cabin and an ejector seat for the cosmonaut on board. It carried a dummy passenger, which was fortunate because it went off course four days after launching and swung into a high orbit until it disintegrated in October 1965.
The aim of the Soviet flights was to successfully send a spacecraft into orbit and then to change its path and bring it safely back to Earth, a feat that had not yet been accomplished. Sputnik 5 achieved this goal. Sent into space on August 19, 1960, the craft carried two dogs named Belka and Strelka as well as two rats and 28 mice. The day after launch, Sputnik 5’s descent cabin separated and headed back to Earth. Two cabins containing the two dogs were ejected and came down to the ground, slowed by parachutes. Wary farmers in a field recovered Strelka and Belka, who were both alive and well.
Soviet scientists concluded it was possible to send a human into space safely. Sputnik 6 was launched on December 1, 1960, with two dogs, Pchelka and Mushka, on board; it was to be the last scheduled trial flight in the Sputnik series. Two days later the rockets fired to change orbit, but the angle of descent was too steep and the spacecraft burned up. More test flights would be needed.
Sputniks 7 and 8 were actually the first Soviet probes of the planet Venus, later known as the Venera project. Although Sputnik 7 successfully reached Earth orbit, ground control failed to redirect it toward Venus. Sputnik 8 headed into the proper orbit but its communications equipment failed and all contact was lost. Sputnik 9, which was sent up on March 9, 1961, and Sputnik 10, which was launched on March 25, were both successful. They both carried dogs—Chernushka on Sputnik 9 and Zvedochka on Sputnik 10—into orbit and returned them safely to Earth. It was now time to send the first human into space. Again the Soviet Union achieved a spaceage first, gaining world attention: on April 5, 1961, Yury Gagarin (see entry) made his historic flight aboard the Vostok to become the first human to circle Earth in a spacecraft.
This is the complete article, containing 1,067 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page).
