Sputnik
스푸트니크
The world's first series of artificial satellites, launched by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957, and the Russian word for 'fellow traveler': literally 'co-wayfarer,' from с- (together) and путь (path), coined in the 18th century. The radio beep of the 83.6 kg metal sphere of Sputnik 1, receivable by amateur operators across the globe, announced to the world that the USSR was not a backward agrarian nation but the inaugurator of the space age. The launch triggered the 'Sputnik crisis' in the United States, leading to the creation of NASA and the space race, while newly independent nations saw in it the fruit of Soviet cost-free technical education and planned-economy resource concentration.
Related people
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) etymology, launch details, global impact, Sputnik crisis
- nasa.gov NASA history: launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957, initiation of space age and US-USSR space race, creation of NASA as direct consequence
- macalester.edu Macalester College Russian Studies: etymology ('fellow traveler'), physical description, Cold War context, Soviet reaction and US anxiety, cultural impact including G. Mennen Williams poem