On this episode of Our Island Universe: The satellite that launched the space race... Sputnik!
Note: Throughout the month of July, Our Island Universe is celebrating the legacy of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Shanil Virani, Director of the John C. Wells Planetarium in Harrisonburg, VA.
Follow on Twitter as shanilv
Transcription:
SPUTNIK
On October 4, 1957, Sputnik 1 was launched by the Soviet Union, demonstrating to all that humans were now capable of beating gravity that had confined us to the surface of the planet for all of our history. The launch of Sputnik 1 was a monumental achievement, one that ushered in new technical and scientific developments, but one that fundamentally changed the political landscape.
Sputnik, 23-inch polished metal sphere with 4 radio antennae to broadcast its radio pulses, caught the American public by surprise. Two months later, when the first American attempt to launch an artificial satellite fell back to the launch pad and exploded, American fears deepened as the failure was humiliating and loss of prestige. The United States may not be the world leader in science & technology that we thought we were.
The launch of Sputnik 1 & its successful 21-day mission spurred the United States into action. In its aftermath, NASA was created and precipitated a significant investment by the US government in scientific research and education. President Eisenhower enacted a bill, called the National Defense Education Act, that encouraged American students to go to college and study math and science. The “Space Race” was on.