Another space milestone anniversary - the Sputnik launch

[JRS]

On October 4th 1957, the Space Race started for real. The Soviet rocket expert Sergei Korolev and his team launched a 184lb satellite from Baikonur using an R-7 ICBM. The first man-made satellite in Earth orbit, it was used to get information about the electron density of the ionosphere. It pretty much flew the Americans into a panic

 

[singist]

I remember that .......

 

[JRS]

I remember that .......

Heh

Do you remember the second launch in November that year that sent Laika up then? Apparently that caused a bit of a ruck with animal rights groups.

 

[Metalface Mark]

Heh

Do you remember the second launch in November that year that sent Laika up then? Apparently that caused a bit of a ruck with animal rights groups.

I dont think it caused a ruck in the Soviet Union, i know when Ham and Enos went into space, that caused quite a few problems for the Americans, one of the monkeys pulled their catheter out too, which is just... ouch...

 

[JRS]

I dont think it caused a ruck in the Soviet Union

Yeah, not many people in the Union questioned it, but apparently there were protests elsewhere.

In the United Kingdom, the National Canine Defence League called on all dog owners to observe a minute's silence, while the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) received protests even before the Soviet Union had finished announcing the mission's success. Animal rights groups at the time called on members of the public to protest at Soviet embassies.

From the Wiki page about the mission.

 

[JRS]

Yet another anniversary - on this day in '59, Luna 3 sent back the first shots of the far side of the Moon.