Sputnik 1, Card No 01 (RaceIntoSpace 1971)
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Card No. 01: Sputnik 1
The very first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched from the Soviet Union on October 4th, 1957 into on orbit varying between 141 and 588 miles above the Earth.
Carried by an inter-continental ballistic missile, the satellite was spherical with a diameter of 22.8 inches, weighed 184 pounds, and had four long aerials. Its carrier rocket, clearly visible as it travelled slowly across the sky, and the “bleep-bleep” from the satellite's transmitter, were evidence that the space age had arrived.
The satellite transmitted for 21 days, and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on January 4th, 1958.
