Thursday, October 04, 2007
Sputnik, Fifty Years Ago
Fifty years ago today, on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, a 190lb satellite, opening up the space age.
There was quite a bit of embarrassment within the American science community about the fact that the USSR, at the dawn of the cold war, had beat us into space.
Or did they?? I suggest that perhaps we intentionally held back. The facts support this.
In 1956, Wernher Von Braun, the expatriate German Rocket scientist now working for the US Army had a four stage rocket that he later stated he could easily have beaten Sputnik into space with. He had it ready and on the pad for testing more than a year before the launch of Sputnik, but was told by his Army boss, Maj. Gen. John B. Medaris to leave the fourth stage inert. He was even put under direct orders to personally inspect his rocket to make sure the fourth stage (which would have put it into space.) was not fueled.
There were two main reasons for this:
First, In October of 1950 a Rand Corporation analyst, Paul Kecskemeti, issued a report, spelling out fears that an American over flight of the USSR would bring many objections from Moscow to a sympathetic world audience. He stated “Fear of loss of secrecy is constant and intense. A picture of the outside world as engaged in penetrating Soviet secrets is likely to be highly anxiety provoking.” If Russia were allowed to launch, and over fly America first, it was reasoned, it would establish the concept of open space, in the same manner of the of open seas. And that is exactly what happened. Sputnik over flew America, America made no protests, the concept of free and open space was established. The Soviet Union could no longer protest if an American satellite (Filled with cameras.) over flew USSR territory.
Reason two was Von Braun's link to Nazi Germany and the V-2 program, still fresh in USSR memories. It was thought that his participation would rile the Soviets. The Navy also had a program, (Vanguard) that WAS approved to fly as soon as possible. However, their rocket wasn't nearly as advanced as the Army's. (Von Braun's) It was slated to launch its satellite into an equatorial orbit, avoiding the USSR's land mass. However, it suffered a rather spectacular failure on the launch pad, December 6, 1957.
Sputnik was launched Oct 4, 1957. It weighed about 190lbs and people weren't concerned. Sputnik II, launched Nov 3, 1957 weighed 1000lbs, and carried a dog named Laika. Well, THAT got people's attention, especially the Pentagon brass, and Von Braun got his go ahead. On Jan 31, 1958, 84 days after getting his green light, he placed Explorer 1 into orbit, remaining there for 12 years. His rocket flew exactly as he thought it would have a year earlier.
"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming."
Wernher von Braun
There was quite a bit of embarrassment within the American science community about the fact that the USSR, at the dawn of the cold war, had beat us into space.
Or did they?? I suggest that perhaps we intentionally held back. The facts support this.
In 1956, Wernher Von Braun, the expatriate German Rocket scientist now working for the US Army had a four stage rocket that he later stated he could easily have beaten Sputnik into space with. He had it ready and on the pad for testing more than a year before the launch of Sputnik, but was told by his Army boss, Maj. Gen. John B. Medaris to leave the fourth stage inert. He was even put under direct orders to personally inspect his rocket to make sure the fourth stage (which would have put it into space.) was not fueled.
There were two main reasons for this:
First, In October of 1950 a Rand Corporation analyst, Paul Kecskemeti, issued a report, spelling out fears that an American over flight of the USSR would bring many objections from Moscow to a sympathetic world audience. He stated “Fear of loss of secrecy is constant and intense. A picture of the outside world as engaged in penetrating Soviet secrets is likely to be highly anxiety provoking.” If Russia were allowed to launch, and over fly America first, it was reasoned, it would establish the concept of open space, in the same manner of the of open seas. And that is exactly what happened. Sputnik over flew America, America made no protests, the concept of free and open space was established. The Soviet Union could no longer protest if an American satellite (Filled with cameras.) over flew USSR territory.
Reason two was Von Braun's link to Nazi Germany and the V-2 program, still fresh in USSR memories. It was thought that his participation would rile the Soviets. The Navy also had a program, (Vanguard) that WAS approved to fly as soon as possible. However, their rocket wasn't nearly as advanced as the Army's. (Von Braun's) It was slated to launch its satellite into an equatorial orbit, avoiding the USSR's land mass. However, it suffered a rather spectacular failure on the launch pad, December 6, 1957.
Sputnik was launched Oct 4, 1957. It weighed about 190lbs and people weren't concerned. Sputnik II, launched Nov 3, 1957 weighed 1000lbs, and carried a dog named Laika. Well, THAT got people's attention, especially the Pentagon brass, and Von Braun got his go ahead. On Jan 31, 1958, 84 days after getting his green light, he placed Explorer 1 into orbit, remaining there for 12 years. His rocket flew exactly as he thought it would have a year earlier.
"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming."
Wernher von Braun
Comments:
<< Home
This was interesting!! I hadn't been aware of that. I remember one of my teachers brought a sputnik model to school to show us, and was berated as being "a commie lover" by other teachers. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home
