On October 4, 1957, a rocket lifted off from Kazakhstan and pushed a small polished sphere into orbit around Earth. It was Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. The Soviet Union had beaten the United States into space, and the news made headlines everywhere. Sputnik was about the size of a beach ball - 22 inches across - with four whip-like antennas sticking out.
Sputnik didn’t do much. It carried two simple radio transmitters that broadcast a steady beep-beep-beep at frequencies any ham radio operator could pick up. People all over the world tuned in to listen to the steady tone of the first human-made object orbiting Earth, passing overhead about every 96 minutes.
The little satellite shocked Americans. If the Soviets could put a beeping ball in orbit, they could also launch missiles across continents. The shock prompted the U.S. government to create NASA the following year and pour money into science and math education. Sputnik fell back to Earth and burned up after about three months.
