Sputnik 1 in orbit. Computer illustration of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 in Earth orbit,with the Moon (upper left) in the background. This Soviet spacecraft,the first ever spacecraft to reach Earth orbit,was launched on 4th October 1957 by the Soviet Union. It was a highly polished aluminium alloy sphere,58 centimetres in diameter,with four long antennas attached to it. It transmitted radio signals back to Earth for a period of 23 days. The following year,Sputnik 1 burned up as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 4th January 1958. The launch of Sputnik 1 took the USA by surprise,starting what became known as the Space Race between the USA and USSR | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Van Ravenswaay, Detlev |
Bildgröße: | 3000 px × 4500 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |