Sputnik 1 (/ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk/, ‹See Tfd›Russian: Спутник-1, Satellite 1) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries became depleted. Aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958. The world's first observation was made at the school observatory in Rodewisch (Saxony).

It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm (23 in) in diameter with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. Its radio signal was easily detectable by amateur radio operators, and the 65° orbital inclination made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth.

The satellite's success was unanticipated by the United States. This precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, part of the Cold War. The launch was the beginning of a new era of political, military, technological, and scientific developments. The word sputnik is Russian for satellite when interpreted in an astronomical context; its other meanings are spouse or traveling companion.

Tracking and studying Sputnik 1 from Earth provided scientists with valuable information. The density of the upper atmosphere could be deduced from its drag on the orbit, and the propagation of its radio signals gave data about the ionosphere.

Sputnik 1 was launched during the International Geophysical Year from Site No.1/5, at the 5th Tyuratam range, in Kazakh SSR (now known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome). The satellite traveled at a peak speed of about 8 km/s (18,000 mph), taking 96.20 minutes to complete each orbit. It transmitted on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz, which were monitored by radio operators throughout the world. The signals continued for 22 days until the transmitter batteries depleted on 26 October 1957. On 4 January 1958, after three months in orbit, Sputnik 1 burned up while reentering Earth's atmosphere, having completed 1,440 orbits of the Earth, and travelling a distance of approximately 70,000,000 km (43,000,000 mi).

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  • Alisu [they/them]
    ·
    3 days ago

    I have come to accept that I cannot get a job via regular means, I'm either unwilling and/or unable to do what companies are asking for the hiring process. Honestly, it sucks that i can't get a job that would be guaranteed, but instead I have realized that maybe I should be trying to do stuff online, like getting better at art and start posting somewhere until I can sell it, or streaming os something. Having a degree and not being able to get a job sucks, the hoops you have to jump through to be exploited for profit. I hate it here

    • keepcarrot [she/her]
      ·
      3 days ago

      I wound up going to community college and getting a job through a lecturer. I'm way too cagey and autistic for the traditional interview process

      • Alisu [they/them]
        ·
        3 days ago

        God, don't even get me started on that. I hate social media, but I'm supposed to use linkedin, do weird ass online quizzes. I've been asked to record a video like I'm signing up for a fucking reality show. Seriously, how the fuck have things gone to shit this much?? I'm probably autistic too (cannot confirm because autism test expensive) and I just can't deal with this

        • keepcarrot [she/her]
          ·
          3 days ago

          I could probably rant for the rest of my life about this. It sucks

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      It's utterly ridiculous that there isn't a robust public service for matching people with jobs.

      If you can do retail give ace hardware stores a shot. They're all individually owned. The ace brand is an owners co-op. A person owns the store and all the owners pool their buying power through the coop to get product. Which means some of them, you can still walk in and ask for a job like it's 1973.

      • Alisu [they/them]
        ·
        3 days ago

        You now where they have that? China.

        I'm not sure we have that store here. I'm not in the US either so there's that, even in 1973 there probably weren't that many jobs in here, in fact I think that might have been a worse time than the 2000s

        • Frank [he/him, he/him]
          ·
          3 days ago

          Oh, sorry. Yeah, ACE is a chain, well, owner's co-op, of hardware stores in the usa.