October 1957: The launch of Sputnik

It was, of course, referring to Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, which was launched into low earth orbit on October 4^th 1957.

The launch marked a key moment in the history of the 20^th Century. There was considerable international surprise that the Russians had beaten the US to orbit, and the resulting fear of Soviet technological supremacy was the catalyst for a fevered race that accelerated the development of space technology and was also one of the defining trends of cold war rivalry between the US and Russia. The so-called "space race" peaked in 1969, when the US Apollo 11 mission put the first men on the moon.

Despite the political shockwaves, The Engineer was fulsome in its praise for the project.  “Congratulations are unquestionably due to Russia’s scientists and engineers,” it wrote.  “A major scientific feat has been performed.”

Although it was early days, The Engineer gleaned what technical details it could from the Russian newspaper Pravda, reporting that the satellite was a sphere, around 58 cm in diameter and made of aluminium alloy.  Commenting on its payload, the report noted that “The casing houses two radio transmitters and other equipment in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas, the whole assembly weighing 83.6 kg. Four metal antennae are attached to the casing: 2.4m to 2.9m long, these rods folded back when the sphere was on its outward journey.”