On October 4, 1957, all Americans were stunned by the news: the Soviet Union successfully launched the world's first artificial earth satellite (Sputnik 1-Sputnik 1). Although this is mankind's first step into space, it marks the beginning of human spaceflight and creates a new era of human spaceflight. But few Americans are happy about it, because this was a step taken by their Cold War opponents the Russians , and it was taken before the Americans. About half a century has passed, and the feat of launching the first artificial earth satellite has already gone down in history.
The world's first artificial satellite was successfully launched. The news spread quickly around the world, and all countries were shocked. The world's major newspapers and periodicals reported in prominent positions with big-character headlines: "News that Sensational in the 20th Century", "New Era of Science and Technology", "The Soviet Union Takes the Lead Again", "The Russians Open Up Again" "The Road to the Universe" etc. That day, the weather was clear and a large rocket was erected on the satellite launch tower of the Soviet Union's Baikonur Space Center. The head of the rocket is equipped with a spherical artificial satellite "Sputnik" 1 with four folding rod antennas. With a loud bang from the rocket engine , the rocket took off and disappeared without a trace in less than two minutes.
However, almost no one would have thought that the Soviet government at that time actually did not realize that the artificial earth satellite it launched was the first artificial earth satellite for mankind, which would make the word "Soviet Union" famous all over the world; it also Unexpectedly, that launch would become mankind's first step into space.
Academician Chertok, who served as the first assistant of Soviet aerospace Korolev , recently disclosed the inside story of the launch of the first artificial earth satellite in a speech in Moscow. In 1955, the United States announced that it would launch the "Jianbing" artificial satellite between 1957 and 1958. At that time, no one doubted the capabilities and confidence of the United States. However, in 1956, representatives of the former Soviet Union proposed at an international conference that " During the International Geophysical Year , an artificial earth satellite will be launched into orbit. No one paid attention to this at the time. Some Western reporters believed that this might be just a kind of psychological propaganda. In fact, the former Soviet Union's artificial earth satellite development work is nearing completion, and it is preparing to convert intercontinental missiles into carriers for launching the satellite .
What is very surprising is that in that space launch that shocked the world, the main purpose of the Soviet aerospace designers was to conduct a launch test of the intercontinental ballistic missile , and sending the artificial satellite into space was just a casual test!
In fact, the artificial satellite launched by the Russians with an R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile from the Baikonur launch center in Ukraine only carried a test payload: a simple radio positioning transmitter and a thermometer. The "Satellite-1" launched into space weighs about 83 kilograms.
At that time, the Soviet aerospace designers facing this major task looked down upon the artificial satellite carried by the test bomb at all, thinking that it was just a round iron ball and a "small toy" that would not be of much use.
Therefore, the Soviet aerospace designers did not expect that the news of the satellite launch caused excitement around the world.
The satellite operated in orbit for 92 days before deorbiting and crashing on February 4, 1958.
This is really "If you plant flowers with intention, they will not live, but if you plant willows with no intention, they will make shade." - The intercontinental ballistic missile test failed, but mankind's first artificial satellite went into the sky! The Soviet Union thus took the crown of being the first to send a satellite into space.
According to relevant reports, US President Kennedy was stunned by the astonishing feats of the Soviet Union, a powerful opponent. The entire US aerospace community reflected on this for a whole week.
As a technological achievement, the successful launch of the first artificial satellite attracted worldwide attention and caught the American public off guard. In addition, public concern was that the Soviet Union's ability to launch satellites would also translate into the ability to launch ballistic missiles capable of launching nuclear weapons from Europe to the United States.
This concern did not dissipate after the United States successfully launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958.U.S. officials have taken several steps to improve the nation's technological capabilities. These included the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (later renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA) in February 1958, and the creation of NASA in October of the same year. (NASA’s predecessor organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, was established in 1915.)
