The story of Sputnik 1 is far more than just a simple satellite going into orbit.
When Sputnik 1 launched in October of 1957, the United States was caught by absolute surprise. How could the Soviets beat the Americans into putting up an artificial Satellite? What did this mean they could do next? What would they do next? What goes down these days to many, including me, as an overall human achievement was, back then, a very serious threat to the nation and the free world.
This image looks to be the actual launch of Sputnik. The R-7 missile shown has the same nosecone as the PS booster.
To better capture this, I’ve decided to share a video that I feel very well captures what that moment in the Fall of 1957 was like for us. The American dream contrasted against the fear of Nuclear annihilation. It was a very real proposition at that time, a time so long ago that, even in the minds of those who study and love Space history, is an ancient time by comparison to even Mercury and Vostok just 3 years later. Nothing would ever be the same after that shining sphere beeped day in, day out, as it circled the globe.
This documentary goes into amazingly intricate detail on just what was going on in those days, and really puts it all into perspective quite well. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.