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History 
​The launch of sputnik in October 1957 marks the start of the space era, when it was launched. 

Sputnik is simply the Russian word for satellite. 

In August 29, 1949 USSR tested it first nuclear bomb, but lacked a way to deliver it to targets in USA. While US airforce had strategic bombers placed on airbases all around USSR. The Soviet air force did not have any planes, which were capable of reaching US targets and returning.
 
In 1950 the Soviet leadership authorized the development of a liquid rocket with a range of 5,000 to 10,000 km and a warhead of 1 to 10 tonnes". The project was headed by S. Korolev. The objectives for the project was changed more than one time ending up with the development of the R-7 ICBM.

In 1954 Korolev suggested in a secret memo to the Soviet leadership, that the R-7 was used to launch a satellite. 

In 1955 first the USA and later the Soviet announced their plans to launch a satellite as part of the International Geophysical Year. In

USA started on the ill-fated vanguard project. 

In USSR a scientific team started to work on a 1,0- 1,4 ton satellite packed with all kind of scientific equipment. While the R-7 missile was ready for testing, the development of the large satellite (later known as sputnik 3) was far behind schedule – and in the end Korolev decided that the rocket team should design their own smaller satellite (sputnik 1). 

Sputnik was successfully launched 4 October 1957, from what is now known as Baikonur Cosmodrome. Sputnik 1 was a 58 cm sphere filled with pressurized nitrogen. It carried four antennas and two radio transmitters (20.005 and 40.002 MHz). It burned up upon re-entry on 4 January 1958. 
 
The succesfull launch of the Soviet satellite was a major shock to the Western world – and a big propaganda victory for the USSR. Therefore it also marks the start of the space race between USA and USSR.  

Today satellites is a major part of your life – for example broadcast of television, making reliable weather forecasts and GPS. At same time we have been to the moon and a working together at the ISS. The sputnik started it all. 

Sources and more information:

Rocket and space corporation Energia - The legacy of S. P. Korolev. 

IGY - The year of the new moons by J. Tuzo Wilson

History -Sputnik Vanguard

Sputnik 1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

YouTube - Video- New Moon. Reds Launch 1st Space Satellite 1957-10-07 (1957)

YouTube - Video - russian sputnik film

Model of R-7 launcher here:

Classic Paper Space Models at ninfinger.org