Sputnik 1

space history · first satellite · Cold War · Soviet Union

First satellite ever. Sputnik 1 was the very first artificial satellite humans ever put in space. It orbited Earth in an elliptical path starting on October 4, 1957, which was a huge achievement that amazed and worried people around the world.

Sent radio signals. Even though Sputnik 1 was just a shiny metal sphere, it could send radio signals back down to Earth. Scientists and ham radio enthusiasts on the ground could pick up these beeping signals for three weeks until the batteries ran out of power.

Silver-zinc batteries. Sputnik 1 had three special silver-zinc batteries that powered its radio transmitter. These batteries lasted about three weeks in space before they were completely used up.

Fell back to Earth. After orbiting for nearly three months, Sputnik 1 couldn't stay up forever. The friction from Earth's atmosphere slowly pulled it down, and it burned up and crashed back to Earth on January 4, 1958.