The Space Race of the 1950’s and 1960’s will live long in the memory of those who lived through its many fascinating events. The battle between the USA and the USSR was almost an extension of the Cold War itself and while the US won the final quest to put a man on the moon, the Soviet Union claimed many ‘firsts’ of its own during this period.
Sputnik 1
Of all the many achievements that were claimed by the Soviet Union during this time, the launch of Sputnik 1, the first satellite in space was arguably the one that changed the face of space travel completely.
The satellite itself was launched into a low earth orbit on the 4th of October 1957 and was the first of many satellites that formed the Sputnik programme. Needless to say, the work of the Soviet space programme was shrouded in a great deal of mystery at the time so the news came as something of a surprise to the world in general. The launch however had been many years in the making.
Sputnik’s formative years
Sputnik as a concept was formed following an announcement by the International Council of Scientific Unions that the period from 01st of July 1957 to 31st of December 1958 would be classed as International Geophysical Year, or IGY for short.
The Council were aware that in this time span, cycles of solar activity were at a high point and this was an optimum window for the launch of artificial satellites which could orbit the earth and map its surface.
The race commences
While the USSR quietly took up the baton, the USA were more vocal with their intentions and in 1955, they announced their intention to launch such a satellite and after inviting tenders, decided on the proposal that would move them forward.
The USA went to work on the ‘Vanguard’ proposal and over the next few months, there seemed no likely challenge to their work.
Russia’s trump card
It was therefore something of a shock when the successful launch of Sputnik in October 1957 was announced to the world.
Not only had the Soviet Union secured a notable ‘first’ in the Space Race as a whole, the Sputnik satellite was larger and far more impressive overall than the Vanguard project would ever have been.
Following on from this, the Soviet Union secured another noteworthy, and perhaps more famous piece of space aviation history when Sputnik II was launched. The second satellite carried a significantly heavier load that included Laika, the first dog in space.
History reveals itself
Over time, the history regarding Sputnik began to reveal itself as a process of trial and error involving the R-7 rocket, that had begun way back in 1954.
The original process of the 1950’s was however far more fascinating and it encapsulated relations between the USA and the former Soviet Union as a whole. While Russia may have been considered to have ultimately ‘lost’ the space race, the launch of the first satellite in space was an incredible achievement that cannot be overstated.
You can read more about Sputnik I, II and III in our article Sputnik Facts. You can also check out the related articles below for more information about the Russian space program.
