the first man-made object ever
to leave the atmosphere and successfully orbit the earth.

As I'm sure many of you know, October 4, 2007 will mark the 50th
anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, the first man-made object ever
to leave the atmosphere and successfully orbit the earth. Throughout
the world, events are being planned to celebrate the "Sputnik Year,"
which begins on the anniversary and runs through December 31, 2008.

I'm part of the production team on Sputnik: The Movie, which is set to
come out this year as part of the celebration of Sputnik's 50th
anniversary. The movie, which tells the satellite's story from
America's point of view, resonates with me today even though I'm far
too young to have lived through the age of Sputnik.

The film is based on Paul Dickson's bestselling book Sputnik: The
Shock of the Century, which I love. Longtime PBS journalist Mark
Shields narrates the film with his unique grandfatherly, yet
opinionated, style of storytelling.

Anyway, I wanted to make you all aware of this movie and the
importance it'll have this year. For more information, you can go to
www.sputnikmovie.com, or feel free to contact me with any questions
you have.

A question for all of you: if you were alive when Sputnik was
launched, what do you remember about that day? And if not, what in
your lifetime compares to the magic of mankind's first venture into
outer space?

Well, not so much about that day, except that we heard that it was launched and
went outside to see if we could see it orbit overhead. My recollection is that
we did [I was in high school] and that it looked like a speck of light.

Barbara N <barbarajfn@newsguy.com> wrote:

Well, not so much about that day, except that we heard that it was launched and
went outside to see if we could see it orbit overhead. My recollection is that
we did [I was in high school] and that it looked like a speck of light.

If you saw anything - it was the discarded 3rd (IIRC) stage of the
booster. Sputnik I itself was too small to be visible to the naked
eye.

Derek Lyons wrote:
Barbara N <barbarajfn@newsguy.com> wrote:

Well, not so much about that day, except that we heard that it was launched and
went outside to see if we could see it orbit overhead. My recollection is that
we did [I was in high school] and that it looked like a speck of light.

If you saw anything - it was the discarded 3rd (IIRC) stage of the
booster. Sputnik I itself was too small to be visible to the naked
eye.

So the scene in the movie, October Sky, where Homer Hickam and a good
portion of the town observe a Sputnik transit is pure fiction?

I never read Hickam's book, so I do not know if this scene was from the
book or added later for the movie.

Don't forget that it was not possible to make sightings predictions with
any accuracy,
since even the nodal regression rate was unknown until actually observed
and measured.

By November, though, predictions for Sputnik-2 were close enough to make
it worth
going out and looking -- plus it had the advantage of flashing slowly as
the booster
tumbled, so you couldn't easily confuse it with an airplane. I saw it at
least once.

Don't forget that it was not possible to make sightings predictions with any
accuracy,
since even the nodal regression rate was unknown until actually observed and
measured.

By November, though, predictions for Sputnik-2 were close enough to make it
worth
going out and looking -- plus it had the advantage of flashing slowly as the
booster
tumbled, so you couldn't easily confuse it with an airplane. I saw it at
least once.

Interesting. I didn't know about how you couldn't really see Sputnik.

Here's another question for everyone. According to the film
(www.sputnikmovie.com), the launch of Sputnik was one of the most
important events in U.S. history, on par with Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
Do you agree? Why or why not?

[snip]

The movie, which tells the satellite's story from America's point of view
.... [snip]

Derek Lyons wrote:
Barbara N <barbara...@newsguy.com> wrote:

Well, not so much about that day, except that we heard that it was launched and
went outside to see if we could see it orbit overhead. My recollection is that
we did [I was in high school] and that it looked like a speck of light.

If you saw anything - it was the discarded 3rd (IIRC) stage of the
booster. Sputnik I itself was too small to be visible to the naked
eye.

So the scene in the movie, October Sky, whereHomer Hickamand a good
portion of the town observe a Sputnik transit is pure fiction?

I never read Hickam's book, so I do not know if this scene was from the
book or added later for the movie.

Even before Sputnik, I would sometimes go outside in my backyard and
see with my naked eye more stars than I have ever seen since, with the
possible exception of deepest Montana when I go dinosaur hunting.

I was allowed to touch it which I did with utmost reverence.

Then, it was boxed up and put away. I felt a bit like Indiana Jones.

However, I also believe that Sputnik became more of an American story
than a Russian one.

So, what's the season for hunting dinosaurs? Does it vary according to
firearm? What sort of license do you need?

Where would you hang the head? I think the triceratops would look better on
the wall than the T-Rex.

And amazingly, Sputnik wasn't lost in the warehouse along with the Ark of
the Covenant.