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Sputnik 1 on the Pad
Credit: NASA
The Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1 satellite on October 4, 1957, surprising the world and starting the space race. The 183-pound (83-kilogram) spacecraft whipped around the Earth every 98 minutes, transmitting a series of beeps. Sputnik means "companion" in Russian.
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Soviet Technician Works on Sputnik 1
Credit: NASA
A Soviet technician works on Sputnik 1 before the satellite's Oct. 4, 1957 launch.
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Sputnik 1 Rides R-7 Rocket to Space
Credit: Novosti
Sputnik 1 launched on a Soviet R-7 rocket to Earth orbit on October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite in space.
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Sputnik 1, Exploded View
Credit: NASA History Program Office
Sputnik 1, exploded view.
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S. P. Korolev. Father of the Soviet Space Program
Credit: NASA History Program Office
Korolev, Sergei Pavlovitch (1906-1966), Russian spacecraft designer and headed the Vostok and Voskhod projects, as well as the early Zond and Cosmos series. His R-7 ICBM launched Sputnik 1 on October 4,1957.
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Crowd Looking at a Sputnik
Credit: History Films/Balcony Releasing
A crowd gazes upon one of seven Sputniks produced by the Soviet Union.
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Model of Sputnik at the United Nations, New York City
Credit: UN Photo/MB
These young students on a guided tour of United Nations Headquarters are seen studying the model of the first Sputnik launched in the USSR in 1957. The Sputnik model was presented to the UN as a gift from the Soviet Union.
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Sputnik Replica at the National Air & Space Museum
Credit: Eric Long/National Air and Space Museum.
Sputnik replica on display in the Milestones of Flight at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
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Sputnik 1 Model
Credit: NASA
Sputnik was the world's first artificial satellite, launched Oct. 4, 1957.
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Sputnik 1
Credit: NSSDC, NASA
The Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957.
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Sputnik 1 Replica in the National Air & Space Museum
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
A replica of Sputnik 1 satellite hangs in the National Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC.
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Replica of Sputnik 1 at Chabot Space & Science Center
Credit: Courtesy of Chabot Space & Science Center
Visitors to Chabot Space and Science Center can view space artifacts including a replica of Sputnik 1 (top).
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Launching a Miniature Sputnik Satellite
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency
A cosmonaut tosses a miniature Sputnik satellite into orbit during a spacewalk outside the Russian Mir Space Station in this time-lapse series of video images.
