Watch the 1st American Newsreel of Sputnik Launch 133
MMBK writes with this snippet from motherboard.tv: "Fifty three years ago this week, the Russians won the space race – or one of its laps – by successfully launching the Sputnik satellite into orbit. This newsreel, the first to report on the launch, recycles older animation about geosynchronic orbits, since all film footage was kept secret (note the very un-Soviet IBM logo on one of the massive computers)."
Respect (Score:3, Informative)
I gotta admit begrudging admoration of the Russians for this one.
Re:Respect (Score:3, Informative)
Because of that political contest we ended up with the pile of manure known as the shuttle program, and wont make it to the moon again for nearly a century after the last time we put foot on it. What a complete waste of resources.
Many would argue that going to the moon is a waste of resources, at least when it comes to sending humans. We have already been there and can send probes for a tiny fraction of the cost. Manned exploration is fine and dandy, but only in small doses if you want to get the best use of your resources. Same with Mars. Yes, we want to put a human up there and get them back, if for no other reason than "because it is there", but most of the really good science will happen with probes and rovers, not humans that have to sleep and eat half the day, using a majority of the resources to launch and maintain the craft simply to keep them alive.
Re:The space race is not one you can win... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Respect (Score:3, Informative)
Yeah, it's amazing what zombie Stalin could do to people for several years after his death.
Re:Respect (Score:3, Informative)
It's pretty amazing to be able to do that kind of work knowing that Stalin will have your whole family killed if you don't succeed.
Stalin was long dead by the time the Sputnik was launched. What more, he was already dead by the time the Soviet space program was even kicked off (as the extension of ballistic missile program)!
Furthermore, it wasn't even something initiated "from above". It was Korolyov who convinced his superiors that non-military space program would be extremely beneficial for USSR prestige if it can be pulled off before US does it - and also that they could pull it off in time.