oct 4, 1957 - Sputnik 1

Description:

This date marks what is officially recognized to be the start of the Space Age with the launch of the first artificial satellite, the former USSR’s Sputnik 1. The idea for this satellite was taken from Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s 1885 book, Dreams of Earth and Sky, where he details the possibility of such a satellite being made. The satellite’s main purpose was to measure the density of Earth’s upper atmosphere and the radio waves sent through the ionosphere, but it also proved to be a good indicator of the presence of meteors; because of the pressured nitrogen contained in its spherical body, any collision would result in a loss of pressure, though no such collisions occurred while it was operational. This satellite wound up starting the space race between the USA and the USSR, as both tried to be the first to send something special up to space to get an edge over one another in terms of space technology, resulting in constant improvements to the spacecraft they designed, built, and launched.

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