Sputnik is the first earth-orbiting satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. The successful launching of Sputnik satellite shocked western countries and initiated the space race. Between Sputnik's launching in October 1957 and the lunar landing in July 1969 America sponsored five human spaceflight projects. In response to the Sputnik launch and to compete with the Soviet Union, western countries, especially the United States, restructured education at all levels and massively increased funding for science programs and scientific research.
Looking back: Sputnik
- Swenson, G.W., Jr.
Abstract: Briefly discusses the circumstances leading to the launch of Sputnik 1. Radio
observations of the signal are described leading to an ephemeris. The radio transmissions
of the very early satellites are considered from an ionospheric research point of view.
Public Opinion and Foreign
Threats: Eisenhower's Response to Sputnik
Rodger A. Payne. This article examines a case using declassified archival information to examine
responsiveness in a situation ripe for manipulation. U.S. reactions to Soviet Sputnik
launches are scrutinized. President Eisenhower was much less
concerned about Soviet actions than was the general public but nonetheless substantially
altered many defense programs in order to meet perceived public demands. The President
acknowledged privately that at least two-thirds of a spending supplement was used to meet
public fears, not real security needs. This finding is inconsistent with prevailing
realist theories and standard historical interpretations.
Sputnik - Abstract: The Army Ballistic Missile Agency incorporated the von Braun team in key positions with Dr. von Braun as a head of the Development Operations Division. On October 4, 1957, the Nation was shocked when the Russians launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. Two months later, the United States suffered disappointment when a Navy Vanguard rocket, with its satellite payload, failed to develop sufficient thrust and toppled over on the launch pad.
20 Years After Sputnik
David, Leonard. Abstract: Reviews development of aerospace technology in the 20 years since the
first launching of Sputnik I.
THE SPUTNIK ERA: WHY IS THIS EDUCATIONAL REFORM DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER REFORMS?
Rodger W. Bybee, Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education - National
Research Council.
"At a recent meeting of science teachers, a colleague who was chairing the panel,
asked me her favorite question about the current reform of science and mathematics
education, "Why is this educational reform different from all other reforms?"
October 4, 1997, the 40th anniversary of Sputnik, presents the opportunity for educators
to ask how the Sputnik era was different from other reforms. In this essay I use the
Sputnik era to illuminate aspects of educational reform that have implications for the
contemporary period."
The Evolution of the NASA-DoD Relationship from Sputnik to the Lunar Landing.
AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH. Erickson, Mark A.
Abstract : NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo were
well publicized and to varying degrees Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy,
and Lyndon B. Johnson used them as tools for garnering international prestige in the cold
war competition with the Soviet Union. What did
each president believe about using space exploration as a cold war competitive tool?
Eisenhower was not at all keen on such a construct: he did not believe the US should race
to the moon in search of prestige. Kennedy did and reoriented American space policy toward
the moon.