sputnik

(noun)

Any of a series of Soviet unmanned space satellites, especially the first one in 1957.

Related Terms

Examples of sputnik in the following topics:

  • Reactions to Sputnik

    • The Sputnik crisis is the name for the American reaction to the success of the Sputnik program.
    • Eisenhower called the shock the "Sputnik Crisis" because of the looming threat of the Soviet Union.
    • Less than a year after the Sputnik launch, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act (NDEA).
    • Sputnik spurred a series of U.S. initiatives, many initiated by the Department of Defense:
    • Sputnik I exhibit in the Missile & Space Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

  • The Eisenhower Administration

    • Americans were astonished when Soviets were the first to launch a satellite (Sputnik) into space on October 4, 1957.
    • Eisenhower came under heavy criticism after the Sputnik launch, and his administration responded to this crisis with many strategic initiatives, including the creation of NASA in 1958 and a speeding up of the American space program.

  • The Beats

    • The term Beatnik was coined to represent the Beat Generation, and referred to the name of the recent Russian satellite, Sputnik, and the Beat Generation.

  • The Nuclear Arms Race

    • On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union showed the world that they had missiles able to reach any part of the world when they launched the Sputnik satellite into Earth's orbit.

  • Modern Republicanism

    • When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, he had to play catch-up in the space race.

  • Theatre and Novels

    • The term "Beatnik" was coined to represent the Beat Generation and was a play on words referring to both the name of the recent Russian satellite, Sputnik, and the Beat Generation.

  • Technological Advancement

    • The Soviet Union beat the US to this, with the October 4, 1957 orbiting of Sputnik 1, and later beat the US to the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, on April 12, 1961.

  • Conclusion: Post-War America

    • The unexpected leapfrogging of American technology by the Soviets in 1957 with Sputnik, the first Earth satellite, began the Space Race, won by the Americans as Apollo 11 landed astronauts on the moon in 1969.