Dublin Core
Title
Sputnik
Description
Sputnik was a decisive event that initiated the Space Race. On one hand, it furthered divides between East and West, and helped kick off an arms race that led to thousands of nuclear warheads being deployed. On the other, the era of technical innovation and discovery that accompanied both the US’ and USSR’s efforts in space have proven invaluable to humanity. Sputnik represents a classic Russian solution to a scientific challenge.
Creator
Michael Sanders
Source
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/out-of-this-world/online/1957/Sputnik.cfm
http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/out-of-this-world/online/1957/Sputnik.cfm
Date
October 4, 1957
January 4, 1958
January 4, 1958
Rights
Permitted Uses
The Smithsonian welcomes you to make fair use of the Content as defined by copyright law.Information on United States copyright fair use law is available from the United States Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html. Please note that you are responsible for determining whether your use is fair and for responding to any claims that may arise from your use.
In addition, the Smithsonian allows personal, educational, and other non-commercial uses of the Content on the following terms:
You must cite the author and source of the Content as you would material from any printed work.
You must also cite and link to, when possible, the SI Website as the source of the Content.
You may not remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices including attribution information, credits, and notices, that are placed in or near the text, images, or data.
You must comply with all terms or restrictions other than copyright (such as trademark, publicity and privacy rights, or contractual restrictions) as may be specified in the metadata or as may otherwise apply to the Content.
The Smithsonian welcomes you to make fair use of the Content as defined by copyright law.Information on United States copyright fair use law is available from the United States Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html. Please note that you are responsible for determining whether your use is fair and for responding to any claims that may arise from your use.
In addition, the Smithsonian allows personal, educational, and other non-commercial uses of the Content on the following terms:
You must cite the author and source of the Content as you would material from any printed work.
You must also cite and link to, when possible, the SI Website as the source of the Content.
You may not remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices including attribution information, credits, and notices, that are placed in or near the text, images, or data.
You must comply with all terms or restrictions other than copyright (such as trademark, publicity and privacy rights, or contractual restrictions) as may be specified in the metadata or as may otherwise apply to the Content.
Format
Satellite
Sphere with 4 radio antennas
23 inch diameter
184 pounds
Sphere with 4 radio antennas
23 inch diameter
184 pounds
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Still Image
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Comments
Jenna Louie
I appreciate your syntehsis of the way that Sputnik functioned as both a scientific and cultural/historical event in Soviet history. As a scientific achievement, Sputnik was indeed incredible. As a cultural achievement that pitted the Soviet arms race against America, it is one of the indespensible events that defines the 20th century.
Jenny Shore
The Sputnik is such a famous symbol of competition between the US and Russia that I had never known before reading your object biography that it was an opportunity for a "bridge," as you put it. In many contexts, I think that inherent in competition is the need to recognize the other's positive qualities. That's obviously apparent here.
Also, we've talked in class about the Russian fascination with technology, in particular in the Soviet era, and I think it is interesting to understand the meaning of Sputnik in that context. It is striking to note that they were willing to sacrifice elaborate developments to simplicity just in order to be first.
Zachary Young
Sputnik was also important because it was a demonstration of Soviet ballistic missile capabilities (a space-launch rocket and a ballistic missile are very similar). The United States had long considered herself to be technologically superior to the Soviet Union in fields like aerospace and ballistic rocketry, so Sputnik was an important challenge to this paradigm.