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Questions tagged [sputnik]

The Sputnik series of spacecraft achieved several firsts in the late 1950s, most notably Sputnik 1, which was the first artificial earth satellite.

6 votes
1 answer
206 views

Are there any video/audio recordings of the launch of sputnik 1?

I've been researching the launch of sputnik 1, it is often renowned as the event that started the space age though I cannot find any confirmed videos of the launch or even a countdown/audio recording ...
ArchiveOfStars's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
116 views

Sputnik I and Gagarin's space flight

The US was completely surprised by Sputnik (I) and also by Yuri Gagarin's space flight. Was the USSR equally surprised by the success of Apollo 11? If not, were they expecting/wishing any failure of ...
Niranjan's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
211 views

How did Sputnik 1's antennas couple to its body, electrically and mechanically?

Looking at https://www.britannica.com/technology/satellite-communication/Development-of-satellite-communication I found the image of a model of Sputnik 1 below. It shows details of its four rod ...
uhoh's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
476 views

What was the first Soviet spacecraft that could recharge its battery it each orbit? Where were the photovoltaic cells made?

Sputnik 1 (/ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk/; "Satellite-1", or "PS-1", Простейший Спутник-1 or Prosteyshiy Sputnik-1, "Elementary Satellite 1") was the first artificial Earth ...
uhoh's user avatar
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38 votes
5 answers
7k views

Did Sputnik 1 tell us more than "beep"? What science was improved by information gained from its orbiting the Earth?

Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite launched by humans to orbit the Earth. This answer begins: Sputnik had just one single job: Prove its existence by sending a simple "beep" ...
uhoh's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
790 views

Sputnik, Van Allen belts

Van Allen belts were discovered/confirmed by the satellite "Explorer", which was launched after Sputnik. If so, was Russia aware of VA radiation belts when they launched Sputnik? If not, how ...
Niranjan's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
177 views

How long was Sputnik 1's second stage rocket body in orbit? Are there TLEs for it?

Early artificial satellites were tracked by radio and visually by amateurs, scientists and military personnel for various reasons including fun and improving the understanding of orbital dynamics ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
7 votes
2 answers
566 views

Could Laika have survived the Van Allen radiation during the intended duration of her mission?

Laika the dog was the first animal in space, aboard Sputnik 2. According to this answer, her mission was intended for 10 days, but Laika survived only 2 days due to the spacecraft overheating. ...
DrSheldon's user avatar
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5 votes
0 answers
102 views

Did Sputnik 2 signals received in Australia eventually confirm the Van Allen belts?

According to Wikipedia, there was a missed opportunity to discover the Van Allen radiation belts during Sputnik 2: In Australia, Professor Harry Messel intercepted the signals. Other stations in ...
DrSheldon's user avatar
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5 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why did Sputnik-1 transmit on both 20 and 40 MHz?

Wikipedia's Sputnik 1 and this answer to Why did Sputnik 1 have four antennas? say that Sputnik transmitted at both 20 and 40 MHz. Why two different frequencies? Why so far apart? It's worth noting ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
3k views

What did Sputnik-1 sound like? Did it use multiple tones?

Radio transmissions from Sputnik-1 could be heard on short wave radios around the world. Questions: A carrier signal only would not be particularly audible to an AM radio listener, was it modulated ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
0 votes
1 answer
953 views

Where are remains of laika?

I have already tried searching about laika But one thing i am not able to find What about remains of famous space dog laika? where are her remains? In space or fell back to earth?
DSP_CS's user avatar
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25 votes
1 answer
8k views

What "fuel more powerful than anything the West (had) in stock" put Laika in orbit aboard Sputnik 2?

The BBC World Service Radio Witness History podcast Laika, the first dog in space contains a short audio clips from some vintage 1950's British news. At 02:30 in a ...
uhoh's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
320 views

How did Russian Scientist analyse the data from Sputnik 1?

I could not find any information about the process of extracting and interpreting data from Sputnik 1, or the involvement of computers in the data analysis of that information. Does anyone have info ...
F.Zajac's user avatar
  • 21
3 votes
1 answer
572 views

What was the cause of the cooling system issue in Sputnik 2?

I've heard that there was a problem in the cooling system on sputnik 2. But, was it an engineering error? Obviously a dog cannot survive such harsh conditions. Did the engineering team overlook this ...
Advik Asija's user avatar

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