From my Facebook page:On October 4, 1957 at 19h 28m 34s GMT/UT the Soviet Union launched an 8K71PS variant of the R-7 missile and placed "Prosteishyi Sputnik 1" (PS-1, commonly called "Sputnik 1") into Earth orbit, thus opening up the so-called Space Age. In recent years some American writers have claimed the Soviets were "allowed" to complete the first satellite launch to set the precedent of a space object flying over foreign, hostile territory, and that if this had not been a consideration the United States would have launched the first satellite.
A few visual treasures had surfaced with today's #Sputnik anniversary in the avalanche of old cliches. DETAILS: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/r7.html
MOSCOW — Just over 30 years after the Soviet Union launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik 1, the nation that opened the space race stood on the precipice of a second golden age of space exploration. A major program, the Energia heavy booster rocket and the Buran space shuttle, was nearing completion — making its maiden flight in November 1988.Another three decades later, on the 60th anniversary of Sputnik 1, the Russian space program is a shadow of its Soviet predecessor. The Energia-Buran project, its last major accomplishment, flew just once before the fall of communism gutted Moscow’s space program. For nearly three decades now, the Russian space industry has been in a state of triage, teetering on collapse.A replica of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1. Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution A replica of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1. Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian InstitutionBut the Russian space program has consistently defied the dire predictions of those foretelling an imminent end to the program. Today, amid a major effort to reform and reorganize the Russian space industry under the new Roscosmos state corporation, there are signs that the bleeding has been slowed. But major questions about Russia’s future in space linger.
Newly declassified CIA documents on Sputniks 1, 2 and 3, but mostly the events leading up to Sputnik 1.Lots of interesting stuff in this collection. I'll have to go through it carefully. However, I see a document indicating CIA financial support for the US civilian satellite project (the Vanguard satellite). In previous decades I tracked down the connections between the CIA and sponsorship of the US civilian satellite. I do not believe that I found evidence of CIA providing money to it, only that they were aware of it and supported it because they wanted it to establish "freedom of space" and freedom of overflight for reconnaissance satellites.
that picture is believed to depict the launch of Sputnik 2. see for example the right sidebar of http://russianspaceweb.com/sputnik2_mission.htmlthe nose looks more pointy than that of Sputnik 1, and the sunset timing matches the 5.30 PM Moscow Time launch.