57 years ago, the world's first artificial satellite was launched

On October 4, 1957, the USSR put the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit. The satellite was named PS-1, and its R-7 launch vehicle launched into orbit from the Baikonur cosmodrome. Then this cosmodrome was called the research ground of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

The satellite itself was small, its diameter is 58 centimeters, and the satellite weighed 83.6 kilograms. PS-1 was equipped with four antennas (thanks to which he got his recognizable appearance), in order to transmit signals. The device consisted of two polished aluminum (or rather, an aluminum alloy was used) hemispheres, which were bolted together. The edges were sealed with a rubber gasket.
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A power unit (silver-zinc batteries weighing 50 kilograms), as well as a transmitter, fan, thermal control system, and various sensors were located inside the satellite.

Almost immediately after the separation of the satellite from the second stage of the PS-1 launch vehicle, it began to transmit a signal that was heard not only by experts, but also by radio amateurs of almost all countries. From that moment began the countdown of the space age of mankind. Since then a lot of things will happen, there will be both good luck and disaster. But there are still more winning projects.


The solemn article in Pravda, dedicated to the successful launch

Satellite flight parameters:

• Flight starts - October 4, 1957 at 19:28:34 GMT.
• The end of the flight - January 4, 1958
• The mass of the device - 83.6 kg;
• The maximum diameter is 0.58 m.
• The inclination of the orbit is 65.1 °.
• Circulation period - 96.7 minutes.
• Perigee - 228 km.
• Apogee - 947 km.
• Witkov - 1440

Now on Mars and around it are working vehicles, the complexity of which is an order of magnitude, if not more, greater than the complexity of the design of PS-1. Voyager came out of the solar system, Cassini explores Titan and Saturn, orbital telescopes are working in outer space. But in terms of significance, the launch of the first satellite is comparable, perhaps, with the flight of man into space. It remains only to wish that the space industry and the sciences connected with it continue to develop, and man paid more attention to space than to the display of his fashionable smartphone.