Sputnik I anniversary

The world changed 47 years ago this month when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I on October 4, 1957.

The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a basketball and weighed just over 180 pounds.

Sputnik I took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path, and radio amateurs around the world enthusiastically tuned in to monitor its 20 and 40 MHz beacons. The satellite's 1 W transmitter fed four antennas deployed at 35º angles, and three silver-zinc batteries powered it for three weeks.

In addition to ushering in a new era of political, military, technological and scientific development, Sputnik's launch marked the start of space exploration and gave rise to the birth of NASA.

- NASA

Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The American Radio Relay League

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