Topic: History - Do any of you remember Sputnik (Oct. 1957)?

[sangyo soichiro]

Obviously, this thread is aimed at the folks that were alive then.

Sputnik was the first artificial satellite launched into orbit.  It was launched in October of 1957 by Russia.  As we all know, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were in the cold war, the arms race, and just beginning the space race.  With the success of Sputnik, the U.S.S.R. had its first victory in the space race.

So I'm curious to hear what any of you may remember about this.  Whatever you remember is fine - it doesn't have to be a long story.  What did you hear people say about it?  How did people feel about it?  Did you, or anyone you know, try to actually see it in the sky?  Were people afraid that the Soviet Union was up to something?  Anything you can remember I'd like to hear.


Thanks in advance.

[Laminar]

Coincidentally, I just visited the only remaining Titan II underground missile silo this weekend.

[sangyo soichiro]

Coincidentally, I just visited the only remaining Titan II underground missile silo this weekend.

I bet that was cool.  I think I'll try to make it there if I ever go to that part of the world.  Cool.  



I just added that link to my bookmarks.

[zzpete]

  This reminds me of DR. Strangelove

[Damfino]

This reminds me of DR. Strangelove

or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

[Bob Wessner]

I was 14 at the time. I had an interest in all things "science" so I thought it was pretty cool (I use to get up at dawn to watch nuclear test blasts on our black and white TV  )

The adults of the time, were being fed a steady stream of fear that this would lead to the U.S. becoming another subservient communist state.  The pressure on, and efforts by our scientists to duplicate this feat were pretty embarrassing. 

[sangyo soichiro]

Thanks Bob.  That's the stuff I'm looking for. 

Anyone else want to share their personal experience?

[Grnrngr]

Heh..I thought I was old...I was only 3 in 57. I don't remember much but I do remember being at my Grandparents house in L.A. and folks in the neighborhood outside watching when a satellite would go over, but I'm thinking it was 59 or 60. Used to have a cool little rocket ship radio that had an antenna that pulled out of the top and a cord with an alligator clip that would power it when clipped to anything metal. Wish I still had THAT....I remember duck and cover exercises in kindergarten and first grade, but then we moved to Okinawa. Okinawa is only 500 miles off the coast of China and "we" were more concerned with invasion rather than nuclear attack, since it was Pre-bomb China. After the Cuba face-off, never heard anymore about duck and cover. But back to space...I was hooked from the first. I watched all the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle launches, cut out every space article I ran across in the papers, built models of the Gemini and Apollo rockets, space vehicles, and lunar lander, as well as the (Star Trek) Enterprise, a Klingon Warbird, and a couple saucers from "The Invaders" TV show. Not to mention reading every science fiction story that even mentioned space. Yes...I was a space cadet. My dad was in the Army at the time, he was a chief fire control technician for the Nike Hercules Anti-Aircraft missle system. The Herc was the first surface to air/ surface to surface missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and was the first (only?) nuke system to be deployed outside the continental US. It was great fun as a kid, to watch the "ready exercises". Usually involved a big barbeque, lots of beer, the Army band, all the AA units would meet at the beach, we (the U.S.) would launch a target drone towards China, let it get a couple hundred miles out, then shoot it down.  Never thought about how the Chinese folks felt about that until many years later.....

[sangyo soichiro]

Wow grnrngr!  Great stuff!  I was worried this thread might predate too many folks here and there might not be too much memories to talk about.  But you did a great job.  Interesting stuff.  It's these personal memories and experiences that are great.  Thanks you.

[Bob Wessner]

grnrngr made me remember the duck and cover business, pretty lame when you think about it. Lots of discussion of home built bomb shelters. I even recall my father pondering if we should have one. Never came to pass though.

[BobbyR]

I was 7 years old when the Russians launched Sputnik. It was a big deal and caused some alarm since things between the US and Russia were heating up. Since we were in a Missile race with them the fact they could put something into orbit was disturbing. As children we were already having Atom Bomb drills since we were told the Godless Communists could attack us at any moment.  

[sangyo soichiro]

You got to admit though Bob, a bomb shelter would have been pretty cool to play in as a kid.  Maybe even cooler than a tree house.  


My parents (born in 1939) remember the duck and cover stuff.  My mother, born in Chicago, remembers city blackouts as practice in case the Axis powers ever were to make bombing runs in the U.S.


P.S.  Good stuff Bobby.   

[Markcb750]

I was living in a coal minning town in West Virginia, me, Roy Lee and O'Dell watched Sputnik cross the night sky. My Mom and some of the neighbors where there.

The men where cursing the commies all the while brewing commie union trouble for my Dad who was the boss of the mine.

This event drove my life, it inspired me to learn about laminar flow through a de laval nozzle, and gave me an excuse to spend time with that hot young teacher Mrs Riley.

[sangyo soichiro]

I was living in a coal minning town in West Virginia, me, Roy Lee and O'Dell watched Sputnik cross the night sky. My Mom and some of the neighbors where there.

The men where cursing the commies all the while brewing commie union trouble for my Dad who was the boss of the mine.

This event drove my life, it inspired me to learn about laminar flow through a de laval nozzle, and gave me an excuse to spend time with that hot young teacher Mrs Riley.

 


I should have known you, of all people, would quote Rocket Boys.  Do you have any thoughts of your own, or were you going to just give us a book report?  


For those that don't know, he's pretending he's the main character of the movie October Sky.   

[Markcb750]

I was 4, I do not remember Sputnik until I was taught about it in elementary school. 

I lived in Seminole County Florida in the early 60's and remember going outside To see the Mercury Launches. 

I do remember duck and cover exercises.  My parents where tempted to leave Fl in 1963, but as I remember it they decided if it came to war no place was safe.

I got to see the first unmanned Saturn Launch from the Coco Beach area, still remember the noise. Got to see one of the manned Apollo launches, I believe it was 15. 

[BeSeeingYou]

I was 14 at the time. I had an interest in all things "science" so I thought it was pretty cool (I use to get up at dawn to watch nuclear test blasts on our black and white TV  )

The adults of the time, were being fed a steady stream of fear that this would lead to the U.S. becoming another subservient communist state.  The pressure on, and efforts by our scientists to duplicate this feat were pretty embarrassing. 

A bit before my time but now I understand the occasional jokes about your age.

[Grnrngr]

I was just about to ask him if someone had made a movie of his life...
Not trying to threadjack, but bomb shelters made me think of "Blast from the Past" with Brenden Fraser...
every now and then, I put on my helmet and pretend I'm flying my own personal rocket down the freeway..;..

[sangyo soichiro]

I was 4, I do not remember Sputnik until I was taught about it in elementary school. 

I lived in Seminole County Florida in the early 60's and remember going outside To see the Mercury Launches. 

I do remember duck and cover exercises.  My parents where tempted to leave Fl in 1963, but as I remember it they decided if it came to war no place was safe.

I got to see the first unmanned Saturn Launch from the Coco Beach area, still remember the noise. Got to see one of the manned Apollo launches, I believe it was 15. 

Ah, now that's some good stuff.  Thanks Mark.   

If you haven't read The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe or A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaiken, you might enjoy them, especially given your experiences with watching the launches.  (And of course I'd recommend Rocket Boys, but you've already read that.)

[BeSeeingYou]

My early memories are of the Gemini Program and the Apollo 1 fire on the pad that killed Grissom, White, and Chaffee. The Race to the Moon during the 1960's was the most awe inspiring, exciting thing I have seen in my lifetime.

About Sputnik:
Wasn't there a scene in the Right Stuff where a guy comes running in to the President and says "their German scientists just beat our German scientists"?

[Markcb750]

Have read some Wolfe's stuff is pretty good.



I have two of Homer's books on the shelf...Th Second being The Coalwood Way.

I got to shake hands with James Lovell in about 1995 when he was lecturing at a Boy Scout fund raiser. His book The Lost Moon is Pretty good account of his adventures.


Many shuttle's launched until 1995 had most of the panels that form the external tank done on a machine I helped modernize with new controls and servos right after I graduated from college.

The latest technology then, it had a 8" floppy disk drive to enter programs instead of thousands of feet of paper tape.  My brother got us a disk from the manufacture to play space invaders on a 30K computer numerical control...

[sangyo soichiro]

I got to shake hands with James Lovell in about 1995 when he was lecturing at a Boy Scout fund raiser. His book The Lost Moon is Pretty good account of his adventures.

I've read that one too.  Except my copy was printed after the movie, so it was called Apollo 13 instead.  I liked it a lot.

Another book, and probably my favorite for various reasons, is James Michener's Space.  It's fiction, but Michener usually researches the stuff he writes about, and I thought it was fantastic.


I envy you guys that grew up in the '60s.

[Grnrngr]

Heh.....who grew up? I'm just older now....

[demon78]

57 I joined the RCAF and I can remember the hoopla about Sputnik also remember the duck and cover as well as the aircraft spotters, Canada had at the time, volunteers that watched for Russian bombers and and A?C because don't you know that the Russkis would fly the great circle route over the pole,. "Duck and cover," does any one remember "don't look at the flash kiddy's" and then when I was in we got nbc training and Russia developed the Planet Cracker and we figured that they would drop one on Seattle-Tacoma area and wipe the the sub base in that area and the Naval air station as well as Mchord airforce base and consequentially wipe out RCAF Comox and us chicken airmen as well I don't know what it was like in your airforce but with us if you got caught in the flash and the A/C were ok you washed and decontaminated them, got them up, decontaminated, buildings and grounds until they got back, refueled them, decontaminated, then when you keeled over the ground crew and aircrew that hadn't been caught in the blast took over and flew them until they died, after that we weren't sure what happened, except it would have been in the finest traditions of the RCAF ( what horse#$%* ) cut away for the RCAF march past and the displaying Per Ardua Ad Astra. I remember the era with mixed emotions.
Bill the demon.

[sidematic]

I was 4 when Sputnik was launched.  My dad worked for the State Dept. and we were living in Herndon,VA at the time.  He would take me outside, in the summer, after dark and we would watch it pass overhead.  Sometimes he left me look at it with binoculars.  I thought it was so cool to see something that was actually in outerspace.

                                  Barry

[Redman]

As a young kid, I remember all of the nuke drills in school and the talk of bomb shelters. My friends and I wanted a bomb shelter so bad. Better than a fort. I also remember the Nike missile base in Orangeburg,NY. The entrance to it was right next to the entrance to the Drive In Theater and we used to see the missiles on the trailers headed up the mountain to the launch site.

Google search: Nike base,Mt. Nebo, orangeburg,N.Y.