Sputnik at 50: Looking Back at the Space Race
Space
Did Sputnik Have a Fiery or Fractured End?()
October 4, 2007 Some think the Soviet satellite disintegrated upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, while others speculate a man in California has chunks of the probe.
World
Sputnik's Designers Didn't Fathom Its Impact()
October 4, 2007 Sputnik immediately captured the world's imagination with its beeps and its planetary shape, but it took days for the Soviet designers to realize the magnitude of their accomplishment.
Commentary
Sputnik, Space Race Mirror a Personal Journey()
October 4, 2007 Fifty years ago, a basketball-sized satellite went into orbit. Sputnik's successful launch ushered in vast changes in space exploration and in relations between two superpowers. For one commentator, it was the beginning of a more personal journey.
Music
Sputnik in Space and Song()
October 3, 2007 The launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 50 years ago this week marked the dawn of the space age — and sparked songwriters' imaginations.
Space
Sputnik Left Legacy for U.S. Science Education()
September 30, 2007 When the Soviets launched Sputnik into orbit on Oct. 4, 1957, their history-making accomplishment sparked a much-needed revolution in scientific education in the U.S. But today, many educators feel that revolution has lost valuable ground.
Books
'Sputnik: The Shock of the Century'()
September 30, 2007 Fifty years ago, the Soviet Union's launch of the satellite Sputnik sent shock waves through America, sparked the space race and wrenched the U.S. from its post-war smugness. Author Paul Dickson chronicles the launch and the profound changes in society that followed.
U.S.
Khrushchev, Schorr Look Back on Sputnik()
September 29, 2007 On Oct. 4, l957, the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite. Sputnik marked the beginning of the Space Age, as well as a turning point in the Cold War. Sergei Khrushchev and Dan Schorr remember this milestone in human history.
Space
Sputnik I, the First Satellite to Orbit Earth, Turns 50()
September 28, 2007 In 1957, a little beeping ball stunned the world. Sputnik I, launched 50 years ago on Oct. 4, set the stage for many more satellites to follow and marked the dawn of the space age. Guests discuss Sputnik and its effects on science, education, and the way we view the world.
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