October 4

Russians Shoot into Final Frontier!

On this day in 1957, Russian scientists launched Sputnik 1, the first space satellite, into Earth's orbit. The launching of this 83-kilogram, soccer-ball-sized sphere captured the public's imagination and spurred a frenzy in space exploration.

Within a year of Sputnik's launching, the U.S. established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and by the early 1960s, the race to the moon had begun.