Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. This website was created for the 40th commemoration of the beginning of the Space Age.

Scientists used oscilloscopes like this one to analyze Sputnik's signals. You can listen to the sound of Sputnik in AU format (110K) or in RealAudio. Credit: NASA History Office t was 500 miles up, traveling at 18, 000 miles an hour, and it circled the globe every 96 minutes. It flew over the U.S. seven times a day. And the sound of its incessant beeping fascinated and disturbed the nation. At ...