Sputnik+Hannah+-5

Sputnik? What’s that?

Sputnik? The first time you hear it, it sounds like some kind of game or something odd. Really, it is a very important part of the world’s history. These satellites started the space age and the space race between America and the Soviet Union (USSR).

Sputnik is a series of unmanned satellites. They were launched on October 4, 1957 through April 12, 1961. Sputniks 2, 5, 6, and 9 had dogs on board. Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957 and carried a dog named Laika. Sputnik 3 was launched on May 5th, 1958. It had no passengers. Sputnik 4 was launched on May 15, 1960 and it had a dummy of a man on board. It didn’t reenter the atmosphere. Sputnik 5, also called Korabl Sputnik 2, launched on August 19, 1960. It carried two dogs named Strelka and Belka. Sputnik 6, also called Korabl Sputnik 3, carried two dogs named Pchelka and Mushka. Sputnik 7 was launched Feb 4, 1961, and is known to have failed to be sent as a probe to Venus. Sputnik 8, also known as Tyazheliy Sputnik 5, was launched on February 21, 1961. Sputnik 9, also called Korabl Sputnik 5, was launched on March 25, 1961. Sputnik 9 carried one dog named Zvezdochka ("little star") and a dummy man.

Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957. It was the first artificial satellite. Sputnik 1 orbited the earth every 98 minutes. It went 18,000 mph (29,000 kph) and, was 500 miles up. It was launched by the Soviet Union, USSR, as were all the other Sputniks. It weighed 183 lbs and was about 2 feet across. It had long whisker looking pieces coming from its sides. Sputnik 1 stayed in orbit for 6 months before falling back to earth. Its rocket booster, weighing 4 tons, also made it into the atmosphere.

Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957. Sputnik 2 was 1.2 meters tall. It weighed 508 kilograms. This was the first time an animal had gone on a satellite in to space. The animal's name was Laika and she was a dog. When they put the satellite into the air they only packed a week's worth of food and water for Laika. She had to be put to sleep. Sputnik 3 was launched on May 5, 1958.

Sputnik 3 took 106 minutes to orbit the earth. The base of the satellite was 1.73 meters (5 feet 8 inches) and it was 3.57 meters (11 feet 7 inches). It weighed 1, 327 kilograms. The weight of all of the instruments was 968 kilograms.

My topic is important because it was the starting point of space travel and satellites. The Sputnik's were the first artificial satellites and they were also the first to put animals and people into space. Even though they happened a long time ago the Sputniks were the first and they will always be taught about. The main reason is that they were the first, and they did a lot to help space travel. Bibliography