Looking back at historic events The Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite burned up on re-entry Jan. 4, 1958. BY WAYNE HARRIS-WYRICK 0
Published: January 4, 2011
Two notable events in astronomy and space history took place on the dates of today and tomorrow that might interest sky enthusiasts.
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into orbit. It spent 93 days in space, tracked by ham radio operators and backyard astronomers, before burning up in our atmosphere Jan. 4, 1958. In response to the launch of Sputnik, the U.S. rushed its own rocket with a satellite payload, Vanguard TV3, to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Fla. On Dec. 6, the rocket was ignited, but two seconds after ignition, after
“And Now the Rest of the Story – “Looking back at historic events – Ham Radio