Sputnik

Sputnik, Making History

Which country was the first into outer space? Russia launched its appropriately-named Sputnik — meaning "fellow traveler" — fifty years ago today. The world's first artificial satellite was unmanned, weighed 183 lbs. (83 kg.) and circled the globe every 96 minutes. Sputnik only reentered the earth's atmosphere in early 1958, burning up on the descent. The US lost the next round of the space race when Russia succeeded in putting the first human into space: Yuri Gagarin spent about 90 minutes aloft on April 12, 1961. On May 5, 1961, the US launched Freedom 7 with Alan B. Shepard aboard.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, October 4, 2007