Oct 12 1957

From The Space Library

“How An Earth Satellite is Placed in Orbit” article on Sputnik and Vanguard in the Illustrated London News.

J. Allen Hyneck of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge Mass, says that the orbit of Sputnik 1 was calculated in 21 seconds by a computer at MIT. This calculation was only possible after painstaking observations by spotters around the world. The booster of Sputnik 1 was orbiting every 96.03 minutes and was expected to remain in space for as much as three weeks. The U.S. State department issued notice that the Soviet Union would likely launch a second Sputnik in time for the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Globe and Mail