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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I know fuck all about South Africa, but I'm debating a white S. African "leftist" friend and he's defending the white farmers against calls for land reform.
lol at him irl
Oh so he's a leftist
Name every national liberation movement, actually-existing socialism, and progressive cultural policies he supported?
He's very good about Palestine, but I worry about his other views. I also worry about his wife who's a bit younger, smaller, and actually reading the theory.
Call @aaaaaaadjsf@hexbear.net for such help. He's south african
Thank you. I might do that.
What's his approach/opinion? Is he pro land reform, but with the caveat that we must avoid the mistakes made by other countries who were in a similar position, or is he just anti land reform in general, which is usually accompanied by a belief in "white genocide" nonsense.
He's downplaying the murder of those two African women that's big in the news now. I hate to misrepresent him. May I quote him?
cw: sounds racist
Me: so the whites didn't push out the Africans from the land?
He's avoiding the wider discussion. Like I said, I know fuck all about S Africa. But it sounds pretty fucked. I don't like the way he talks to his wife, who's pretty legit communist and based.
This is just standard racist nonsense that is very popular in Afrikaner circles, especially that last point, that's the Afrikaner version of the "empty land myth" used to justify colonialism.
The first point has some truth, but not in the way he thinks. He's right that many non white people die during farm murders (usually farm workers), but the reason their deaths are not publicised is because it goes against the "white genocide" rhetoric being pushed by the far right in South Africa. Also, there are "only" about 60 farm murders a year, according to both Afriforum and the South African Police Service.
It's a very, very bad situation in terms of rural security and organised crime in South Africa, but there aren't raving gangs killing and pillaging thousands of farmers a year. It's not at that scale. There is organised crime, in particular targeting cash in transit vehicles, hijacking trucks/18 wheelers, blowing up ATMs, and even targeting farms. South Africa is a very dangerous country. Most houses have barred windows, security gates, alarm systems, etc. Because of this danger, a lot of people are susceptible to certain narratives. But it's not a warzone.
The stuff about his wife and the way he speaks to her reads like the common dynamics in a traditionally conservative Afrikaner marriage. I could easily be wrong here, but that's what I'm picking up.
Good to know, thanks. It's the vibe I'm getting. This sounds kinda fucked and I'm sorry, but I'm yet to meet a white S. African IRL who has good opinions on shit. Although to be fair, the same seems to go for all anglos. Thanks for your input. Really.
I feel hard for the wife as they married pretty young. It seems like he was her first bf, etc etc. I see stuff he puts on IG with jokes about grabbing her neck. Also when he goes to events he mansplains af. I say this as a middle aged white guy who was pretty lib back in the day, I don't like the goofy white dude shit that he's doing. Maybe I can see some of that shit in 15+ years ago me which is why I haven't come down super hard on him, also there's no way I'm gonna get his wife to divorce him or anything. I can just see her looking back in her 40s and thinking "I wasted so much time on that fuckwad".
This is unfortunately very common in the Afrikaner church community. If you are familiar with the concept of church marriages in the Deep South of the United States, it's like that. So many people marrying young like this while still being sheltered to all the world has to offer. And yes, it often ends in divorce, affairs (both physical and emotional), etc. It only works if both partners are heavily invested in that kind of traditional lifestyle. I am so glad I got out of that church environment as a teenager and ended up an agnostic/atheist. I can't imagine living life in that way.
A lot of the South African "expat" community is like that, if I ever leave South Africa I would not associate with them much. Maybe get some biltong and watch the rugby, but no more than that.
The San peoples might have been pushed out of settled agricultural lifestyles by Bantu people but that was like 400-600 years ago.
Settlers.jpg
(Didn’t we have a settlers meme?)
Are those really farmers or are they big landowners that let peons work their land? If it's the latter, defending them disqualifies you from being a leftist and in fact makes you a class traitor
The latter. Yes I agree with you, and I'm having it out with him.