Sputnik Rocket Launch

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of GHH. I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home! In today's edition, we'll be taking a look at the launch of the Sputnik rocket, one of the first rockets ever launched. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dive straight into it!

     The launch of Sputnik in 1957 marked the beginning of the legendary Space Race and is recognized as the first artificial satellite launched from Earth. Sputnik has a circular shape, weighed 184 pounds, and traveled at 18,000 miles an hour. The entire purpose of the ship was to send small radio blips back to Earth. The highest that the small spacecraft ever went was 584 miles, a small distance, when compared to the rockets, shot up today.

     Before the Apollo 11 mission, American officials and rocket aficionados alike tuned in to the blipping rocket, completely fascinated by Russian ingenuity. Soon, the rocket descended low enough into the atmosphere and was eventually burned up entirely. Turns out, many Americans were intimidated by the leaps and bounds Russians had made in space exploration, and that is how the Space Race began, which you can read more about in previous posts.

     Sputnik:

     

Sources: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sputnik-launched