
Over 50 years ago the only thing that orbited the Earth was the Moon. But on
October 4, 1957 that changed. A nation called the
Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite into space.
The Soviets named it Sputnik, which means “Fellow Traveler” in the Russian language. This metal sphere orbited the world once every 96 minutes. While it passed overhead, Sputnik emitted a radio beep every six-tenths of a second so people could track it on the ground.
Sputnik seemed to change the world overnight. Other nations were afraid the Soviet Union could spy on them from space or launch powerful weapons to anywhere on Earth. Many countries, especially the United States, scrambled to catch up with the Soviets. Scientists and Engineers became more important than ever before.
Eventually other nations launched their own satellites. Today there are hundreds of satellites orbiting the Earth, meeting all kinds of needs. Because of Satellites we are able to see practically any place on Earth and communicate instantly with anyone on the globe.
