October 4th

On this day – 4th of October – 1957 was Sputnik 1 launched

Sputnik 1 was the first artificial earth satellite. It was launched by the Soviet Union and it contributed to the “space race” between US and the Soviet Union. The satellite used 96.2 minutes to orbit the earth, and it sent signals back to the earth for 21 days until the transmitter batteries ran out. The satellite lasted until 4th of January 1958, when it burned up. It contributed with valuable information for scientists but it also contributed the launch of the Space oriented period of the cold war.