/Pogled.info/ On October 4, 1957, at half past ten in the evening Moscow time, a rocket was launched from the Tyuratam launch site in southern Kazakhstan (at that time it was not yet customary to speak of the “Baikonur Cosmodrome”), which launched the first an artificial Earth satellite (ESA) in low Earth orbit.
The spacecraft PS-1 (simple satellite – 1) was a ball with a diameter of 58 centimeters, a weight of 83.6 kilograms and was equipped with four pin antennas 2.4 and 2.9 meters long to transmit signals from the two transmitters powered by batteries. 295 seconds after launch PS-1 and the central block of the rocket weighing 7.5 tons were launched into an elliptical orbit with a height of 947 km at apogee and 288 km at perigee. At 315 seconds after launch, it separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle and immediately its call signs were heard around the world.
The day after the launch of the satellite, the Pravda newspaper reported: “On October 4, 1957, the first artificial Earth satellite was successfully launched in the USSR. According to preliminary data, the launch vehicle gave the satellite the necessary orbital speed of about 8,000 meters per second. Currently, the satellite describes elliptical trajectories around the Earth, and its flight can be observed in the rays of the rising and setting sun with the help of simple optical instruments (binoculars, telescopes, etc.).
According to calculations that are now being refined through direct observations, the satellite will travel at heights of up to 900 kilometers above the Earth’s surface; the time for one complete revolution of the satellite will be 1 hour 35 minutes, the angle of inclination of the orbit to the equatorial plane is 65 °.
On October 5, 1957, the satellite will pass over the Moscow region twice – at 1 hour and 46 minutes. at night and at 6 a.m. 42 min. Morning Moscow time. Reports of the subsequent movement of the first artificial satellite, launched in the USSR on October 4, will be regularly transmitted by radio stations.
The satellite has the shape of a ball with a diameter of 58 cm and a weight of 83.6 kg. It has two radio transmitters that continuously emit radio signals at a frequency of 20.005 and 40.002 megahertz (wavelength about 15 and 7.5 meters respectively).
The power of the transmitter ensures reliable reception of radio signals by a wide range of radio amateurs. The signals are in the form of telegraphic messages with a duration of about 0.3 seconds. with a pause of the same length. The signal of one frequency is sent during the pause of the signal of the other frequency…”
The launch of the first Earth satellite and its flight received a stunning worldwide response. The whole world’s press and radio talked about this event. The Russian word “sputnik” has already entered all languages of the world without translation. People specially went out at night to watch this artificial “star” flying in the sky.
According to one of the designers of the satellite, B. E. Chertok, the generally accepted idea that the satellite itself is visible to the naked eye is wrong. The reflecting surface of the satellite was too small for visual observation, and even under ideal conditions the satellite itself was observed as an object of the 6th magnitude, that is, at the limit of visibility with the naked eye.
In fact, what was visually observed was not the satellite itself, but a larger object, the second stage of the launch vehicle, which entered the same orbit as the satellite itself. The degree was accordingly seen as a cosmic object of the 1st magnitude.
The satellite was tracked not only by special stations, but also by thousands of radio amateurs around the world. Radio signals from the satellite were received at distances reaching 10-12 thousand km. The continuous operation of the transmitters lasted for three weeks. On December 2, 1957, the rocket’s central block left orbit, making 882 revolutions around the Earth.
The first artificial satellite of the Earth accordingly exists for 92 days, making 1440 revolutions around the Earth. On January 4, 1958, as a result of a natural stop, it entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and ceased to exist.
The significance of the launch of Earth’s first artificial satellite cannot be overstated. Despite the fact that it was the simplest, scientists managed to obtain some scientific data. The analysis of radio signals received by the satellite enabled scientists to study the upper layers of the ionosphere, which was not possible before.
In addition, important information was obtained about the operating conditions of the satellite equipment, all calculations were checked, and the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere was determined by the deceleration of the satellite as it left the orbit.
On the day of the launch, Sergey Korolev made a speech: “The prophetic words of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, that humanity will not remain on Earth forever, have come true! Today, the world’s first artificial satellite was launched into low Earth orbit. With its withdrawal, the storm of space began. And the first country that paved the way to outer space was our country – the country of the Soviets! Let me congratulate you all on this historic date.”
Translation: ES
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