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Anyone remember SPUTNIK?

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agpilot

Member
With a couple "Space" topics below I thought I may as well post the really big 1st "Space" story... October 4th, 1957.
I was helping a high school friend replace the engine in his 1950 Ford on a real nice evening. We had the radio on Rock & Roll music when they stopped to anounce the news of Sputnik... What the heck are they talking about, "in space?" We looked several times that nite and only saw stars.. One of the big concerns was Russian bombs next? ..or spy in the sky over USA watching our every move? It ignited our space program.. Forget fast high flying bombers.. get space loaded up with OUR military defence but play it like 'just for Science' information..
Google Sputnik
Russia was 1st, Sputnik
 
I remember him very well; he was my all time favorite bad guy, when I was a teenager and loved to watch studio wrestling............Sputnik Monroe

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imagessputinik.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket
</a>
 
Yeah, I remember Sputnik! Caused a lot of sleepless nights at the Pentagon and White House. The US didn't think that Russia was capable of anything like that. Kind of a "wake up" call. Remember the joke shortly after that, "How does a Russian cowboy see at night?" Answer, "He has a satellite." (Saddle Light).
 
I don't remember it, and I was a big space nut when I was a kid. Of course when Sputnik was launched, I was only about 10 months old...
 
I haven't heard of him for a while. When I was in an advanced Avionics school in Memphis in the Marine Corps, Sputnik lived in a trailer park next door to a buddy of mine.

While we were there, another pro wrestler moved into the same trailer park, and Sputnik decided there wasn't enough room in the trailer park for both of them. They went at it for real one Sunday afternoon on my buddy's front lawn.

Quite a character.
 
Remember it well. Radio interrupted programming for a news bulletin - went to an amateur (ham) radio station, and then broadcast the radio signal. Sounded like a distorted henhouse. Probably nothing more than a temperature sensor as far as the telementary information. We didn't know what it was, and were running scared. Quite a propaganda coup for the Russians. We sure buckled down and played catch-up.
 
As I heard it the US could have launched an orbiting vehicle sooner, but there was a question about whether that would violate countries' airspace as it flew over. So the US let the USSR launch first. No protests, the US was clear to launch their own.

Most of NASA since then has been spy satellites under the guise of science.
 
First I heard was standing roll call in front of barracks in Harmon Air Force Base. First Sgt said they figured it was a diaphragm from a pregnant woman.
 
I was freshman in High School, but it sure did dominate the news for a while. Remember writing reports on it for class.
 
The Avro Arrow was unveiled the same day. It was the most advanced fighter in the world and at least 25 years ahead of its time. Sadly the Sputnik launch overshadowed it.
 
That might be the story for the masses but the truth was it gazumped the USA,which then made you hotfoot it to the drawing boards.
You can't always be first, but you can be next.
 
I was 3 so really don't remember it. I do remember watching the first US manned space shot on TV, the Cuban missle crises.....1st major battle in Viet Nam and the VC bodies stacked like cord wood.


Rick
 
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