Background: Sputnik was a Russian satellite, which also happened to be the first satellite to ever make it to space. Sputnik was 285cm long (112inches) it was 58cm (23 inches) in diameter and weighed 83.6kg (184lb). Sputnik circled the earth every 96.2 minutes until early 1958, when it had blown up in the atmosphere. Event: The Soviets launched Sputnik on October 5, 1957, showing the Americans that they were serious about launching a satellite to orbit around the Earth. In addition, this proved that the soviets could launch a satellite into space but it also gave them the capability of launching a rocket carrying nuclear warheads. This caused Americans to be fearful of the Soviets not only because they were ahead of the US
Background: Sputnik was a Russian satellite, which also happened to be the first satellite to ever make it to space. Sputnik was 285cm long (112inches) it was 58cm (23 inches) in diameter and weighed 83.6kg (184lb). Sputnik circled the earth every 96.2 minutes until early 1958, when it had blown up in the atmosphere. Event: The Soviets launched Sputnik on October 5, 1957, showing the Americans that they were serious about launching a satellite to orbit around the Earth. In addition, this proved that the soviets could launch a satellite into space but it also gave them the capability of launching a rocket carrying nuclear warheads. This caused Americans to be fearful of the Soviets not only because they were ahead of the US