Happy birthday, Sputnik 1: the metal ball that kicked off the space race
Without the Soviet innovation in 1957, we would not have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landings this year
In a year when we have celebrated all things to do with space exploration, it’s worth noting that tomorrow is the anniversary of the event that really got things going.
Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union, taking the space race from concept to reality.
By current standards, it is a pathetic piece of kit. The metal sphere with trailing antennae weighed 83.6kg, roughly Brian O’Driscoll’s weight in ...
