Sputnik 1, Earth's First Artificial Satellite in Photos

A Light Streak from Sputnik's Rocket

The Sputnik 8K71PS rocket streaks across the sky over Montreal on its way to deliver Sputnik 1 into orbit.

Tracking Sputnik

Scientists from the California Institute of Technology track Sputnik 1 from a mobile van.

Monitoring Sputnik

Radio signals from Sputnik 1 are measured at a radio control post near Moscow as radio operators listen for the characteristic "beep-beep-beep" coming from the satellite.

Students Track Sputnik

Students of the Moscow Electrotechnical Institute communicate with their American colleagues via ham radio to discuss signals received from Sputnik 1.

Looking for Sputnik

Staff at the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev prepare to conduct optical observations of the Sputnik 1 satellite.

Listening to Sputnik

Amateur radio operator Dick Oberholtzer and his wife Ruth listen to radio signals from Sputnik 1 via ham radio in Elm Grove, Wisconsin.

Engineers Erect Sputnik-Tracking Antennas

Electronics engineers at the 1957 National Electronics Conference in Chicago set up equipment to listen for signals from Sputnik 1.

Signals from Sputnik 1

An oscilloscope reading shows a signal received from Sputnik 1.

Sputnik Sigthing Makes Headlines

The front page of the New York Daily News on Oct. 5, 1957 — one day after Sputnik 1 launched — details the first sighting of the satellite over the United States. It reads, "The Russian satellite was seen for the first time in the U.S. tonight at Columbus, Ohio where Larry Ochs, manning a Moonwatch observation station, reported sighting a steady light that crossed his telescope. It was definitely not a meteor, he said."

Albanian Stamps Commemorate Sputnik

An Albanian postage stamp commemorates the a Soviet Sputnik satellite. ("Shqipëria" is another name for Albania.)