Fifty years ago, a little beeping ball stunned the world. Sputnik 1, launched October 4, 1957, was not large, weighing in at under 200 pounds. It was not very durable, lasting only 22 days in orbit before burning up on re-entry. However, that first artificial satellite set the stage for many more to follow and marked the dawn of the space age. Join Ira Flatow in this hour of Science Friday for a look back at Sputnik and its effects on science, education, and the way we look at the world.
Segment Guests
Jay Barbree
Jay Barbree is a correspondent for NBC News, focusing on space travel.
Michael D'Antonio
Michael D’Antonio is a Pulitzer-Prize winning writer of books, articles, and original stories for film.
Leon Lederman
Leon Lederman is the 1988 Nobel Laureate in Physics; Director Emeritus at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; and Pritzker Professor of Physics at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois.
Konrad Dannenberg
Konrad Dannenberg was a German-American rocket pioneer and member of the German rocket team brought to the United States after World War II.
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Meet the Producer
About Charles Bergquist
@cbquistAs Science Friday’s director and senior producer, Charles Bergquist channels the chaos of a live production studio into something sounding like a radio program. Favorite topics include planetary sciences, chemistry, materials, and shiny things with blinking lights.