Sputnik "was small, about the size of a beachball, but it circled the earth every 90 minutes, traveling at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour" (Moss, 2010 p.93). The launch of the first space satellite by the Soviet Union marked the true beginning of the space race, and Sputnik was ultimately the first of the many satellites that now orbit our planet. Our Global Economy relies on such technological advancements as Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) for trans-oceanic shipping and navigation, weather imaging satellites, and communication satellites that enable global communications. All of these systems owe Sputnik pride of place as the first of its kind.
David Hoffman Shares His Sputnik Mania (2008). Filmmaker David Hoffman discusses the launch of Sputnik and it's consequences on the Arms Race, the Space Race, and the Global Economy. Click here to link to original video at TED.com.
NASA.gov (2011). The NASA website details current satellite missions. All of these current missions owe their inception to Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth.
n2yo.com allows users to track any satellite currently in orbit in real time. An interesting site if you want to see what is in our sky right now.
Resources
Hoffman, D. (2008, April). David hoffman shares his sputnik mania. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/david_hoffman_shares_his_sputnik_mania.html
n2yo.com. (n.d.). Real time satellite tracking. Retrieved from http://www.n2yo.com/
Nasa.gov. (2011, December 13). Current missions. Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/missions/current/index.html
Moss, G. D. (2010). Moving on, the american people since 1945. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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