The world took a giant leap forward on Oct. 4, 1957, when a silver sphere the size of a basketball launched into space atop a Soviet Union rocket.
Sputnik 1, a small beeping ball with four long antennas, became the first artificial satellite to orbit, ushering in the Space Age and launching a race to the moon between the former Soviet Union and the U.S.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Sputnik's launch, SPACE.com presents a collection of stories and features that look back on five decades of human spaceflight and what the future may hold.
- TIMELINE: 50 Years of Spaceflight
- Anniversary Stories
- Multimedia
- Video
- Spaceflight History Resources
The
Scientific Legacy of Sputnik
Sputnik changed how scientists in every discipline did science.
Click here for the TOP 10 Sputniks of all time compiled by collectSPACE.com.
50 Years of Spaceflight: Astronauts Ponder the State of Exploration
Fifty years
after Sputnik's launch, it emerges that the momentous launch was far from being
part of a well-planned strategy to demonstrate communist superiority over the
West.
Secrets
of 1957 Sputnik Launch Revealed
Fifty years
after Sputnik's launch, it emerges that the momentous launch was far from being
part of a well-planned strategy to demonstrate communist superiority over the
West.
Apollo
Astronauts Bring Moon Down to Earth in Film
NEW YORK --
Hundreds of astronauts have launched into space, but only a select few have
looked back upon their home planet Earth from the Moon
New
Memoir Chronicles Spaceflight Reporting
Only one person on the
planet has covered every manned launch out of Cape Canaveral and now, on the
eve of the 50th anniversary of spaceflight, he's written a book about it.
TIMELINE:
50 Years of Spaceflight
Click here
for a voyage through the last five decades of spaceflight.
Top 10 Revelations of
the Space Age
SPACE.com explores the follow-on
effects Sputnik has had on science.
Top 10 Soviet and
Russian Space Missions
Russia, formerly the Soviet Union, has
long been at the forefront of the space frontier, beginning 50 years ago with
the historic Oct. 4, 1957 launch of Sputnik - the world's first artificial
satellite. Here is a rundown of the ten top Russian space missions from the
drawing board to realization.
Vote
for Your Favorite Manned Spacecraft
Cast your vote for the best of
10 different piloted spacecraft through the ages.
Lunar Legacy: The
Best of the Moon
Vote now
for your favorite views of the moon.
Space
Milestones in Song
Start the countdown
and cue the music.
VIDEO: Human Spaceflight: The Dream of 40 Centuries
The long view of how human spaceflight came to be.
VIDEO:
NASA Chief Michael Griffin - Where We Could Go?
NASA's Administrator looks back - and forward - from the 50th anniversary of
spaceflight. First of a Two-Part Interview with Lon Rains. Credit: Space News
TV.
VIDEO:
NASA Chief Michael Griffin - Continuing the Lead
NASA's
Administrator on America's position, ITAR and why Ares + Orion could still be
our space workhorses in 2057. Credit: Space News TV.
VIDEO:
50 Years in Space
Scott Hubbard, of the SETI Institiute, recollects a half century of space
exploration for science. Credit: Space News TV.
VIDEO:
Who Owns the Next Five Decades of Space?
Bigelow Aerospace CEO Robert Bigelow discusses the future of spaceflight.
Credit: Space News TV.
VIDEO ARCHIVE: Space News TV and
Five Decades of Spaceflight
Click here
for more video interviews on the past, present and future of spaceflight from
Space News TV.
Triumph
and Tragedy: NASA's Five Decades of Bold Space Exploration
Space
has always been infinitely wondrous and frustrating. A few centuries ago it was
entirely misunderstood. Just five decades ago it remained inaccessible, little
more than a dream generator. Now its nearest reaches are partly conquered.
Sputnik
1: The Satellite That Started It All
Sounding
more like a mechanical cricket chirping from high above, it was the beep heard
'round the world.
Greatest
Space Events of the 20th Century: The 50s
In
this first of five articles, space.com's Andrew Chaikin begins a
decade-by-decade look at the 20th century's most significant
developments in space.
The True Story
of Laika the Dog
On
November 3, 1957, the U.S.S.R. stunned the world with a space sensation -- the
launch of Sputnik 2 with a live dog on-board. But many details of what happened
to the mission have only recently been revealed.
Space History Milestone:
Sputnik 1 Launch
A tiny sphere traveled beyond the
atmosphere and orbited the globe. And in the process it changed the world.
- Complete Coverage of the Wirefly X Prize Cup
- Future of Flight: Space Tourism, Investment and Technology
- International Space Station Mission Coverage
- Space Shuttle Mission Coverage
