![]() ![]() While the successful launch and placement of Sputnik 1 into low elliptical orbit was heralded as a scientific triumph, it also excited fears of a dangerous new era in the Cold War stand-off between the Soviet Union and the United States. It entered orbit 295 seconds after lift-off, with the satellite separating about 20 seconds later. The rocket launched at 10:29 pm Moscow time from a secret site now known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The second-stage core rocket, carrying a little more than 86 tonnes of fuel, had a burn time of 300 seconds. The boosters, powered by a mix of of liquid oxygen and kerosene, provided the initial lift, burning through about 160 tons of fuel in 120 seconds. The two-stage rocket had a core 28-metre-long fuselage with four strap-on boosters. It did this atop a rocket whose design was derived from the Soviet Union’s development of the world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile – the R-7 ‘Semyorka’. Sputnik’s 1 greatest achievement was actually getting into space. It was highly polished so Sputnik would better reflect sunlight, enabling it to be more easily seen in the sky – particularly when it was over the United States. The aluminium alloy shell was strengthened with magnesium and titanium. ![]()
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