Sputnik at 50: an Improvised Triumph

[Abdul Alhazred]

Interesting sidelights as 95 year old Boris Chertok (one of the founders of the Soviet space program) tells all.

Synopsis: It was not part of a master plan.

Sputnik at 50: an Improvised Triumph (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070930/D8RVTDH00.html) (AP via May way)

... "The rivalry in space, even though it had military reasons, has pushed the mankind forward," said Valery Korzun, a cosmonaut who serves as a deputy chief of the Star City cosmonaut training center. "Our achievements today are rooted in that competition." ...

Take that you scoffers and impugners. :cool:

[a_unique_person]

Then how do you explain these commies under my bed?

[DRBUZZ0]

I had read about this before. The Soviets had developed some early ICBM's which were theoretically capable of sending a small payload into earth orbit (as opposed to a high parabolic trajectory which is what you would do with a warhead). The leadership had to be persuaded that it was worthwhile to use one to send something into orbit. It wasn't until after that that it was realized that it was actually a big deal and had some major implications.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Then how do you explain these commies under my bed?

What's to explain? That's the best place for them. :rolleyes:

[Abdul Alhazred]

Here's more (not just Sputnik)

http://www.news.com/2300-11397_3-6210652-1.html?tag=ne.gall.pg

[Taffer]

Sputnik is still hella cool, though. Perhaps more so, in fact, given that it was whipped together very quickly.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Sputnik is still hella cool, though. Perhaps more so, in fact, given that it was whipped together very quickly.

That's pretty much my feeling.

Here's some more:

Reflections On Space Progress In The 50 Years Since Sputnik (http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Reflections_On_Space_Progress_In_The_50_Years_Sinc e_Sputnik_999.html)
(Space Daily)

[Darat]

And it looked cool as well.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Russians celebrate Sputnik Day in style (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21132414) (MSNBC)

...

“We take a rightful pride in the fact that it was our nation which opened the way to the stars for humanity,” President Vladimir Putin said in a statement.
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Ceremonies were held at the Russia’s cosmonaut training center, Star City, outside Moscow, and engineers gathered at the Academy of Sciences to recall the events leading up to the Oct. 4, 1957, launch of the 184-pound (84-kilogram) metal ball with the spiked antennas that beeped as it orbited the Earth.

...

Good for the Russians. They have the right attitude about their space achievements.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Some Russian anecdotes.

Sputnik’s blastoff: the terrifying view from the launch site (http://www.thespacereview.com/article/971/1) (Space Daily)

:cool: