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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New bit idea: horror comedy where a cattle rancher is hunting a wolf that he thinks is eating all his cattle. The twist is that the rancher is a werewolf and is hunting himself.
I feel like I've read this story before but fuck if I can remember what it was called
If you remember please let me know!
I think it was my brain embellishing this flavor text
Half the plot is just the rancher on the toilet dealing with the consequences of his unwitting carnivore diet.
Rancher: i keep... i keep finding hair. Animal hair. In my stools.
Doctor: you're shitting fur?!
Reminds me of the “who pooped the bed” episode of Always Sunny
“There’s wolf hair here”
“Inconclusive, that could be either of us”
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I can see that. Like, it's an old fish and game cop at the end of their career, and maybe contrast their sleep-walking dream world with the state of the real world?
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We need to get the Coen brothers on this, or whoever their 21st century spiritual successors are idk if htey're still alive.
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