Sputnik

SWBAT describe the historical and scientific significance of the launch of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth.

Guided notes here.

Sputnik ("the traveler") was the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth.  It was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957.  It was a very simple satellite, only 58 cm across, which emitted a constant repeating radio signal.  The utility of this satellite was limited - it allowed Russian scientists to make calculations about the density of the upper atmosphere because the drag slowed the satellite down measurably (as determined by tracking the radio signals).  The biggest impact from the launch of Sputnik was the response from the United States.  The US saw the Soviet Union as a backwater country full of farmers, and the satellite launch caught us by surprise.  We realized that the Soviet Union was more advanced than we thought, and we raced quickly to catch up.  Soon after the Sputnik launch, NASA was formed as a government agency to develop space exploration technologies.

Newsreel report on the launch of Sputnik: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsPKD4tNe-Y
Hear Sputnik's radio emissions: http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/sputnik.wav

Background information: Crash Course on the Cold War - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOmUEv9ystE

Read about Sputnik: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik.html
http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/

Once you've completed the readings and your guided notes, you may complete the mastery check by clicking here.