What would the world be like if no one took the first step towards technological development? The advancements in communication will be all thanks to the satellites that orbit the earth. And talking about satellites, the very first one launched in space, the Sputnik, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. This satellite made by the Soviet Union is the very first man-made mechanism to reach space. This satellite was just a small aluminum ball, just 2 feet in diameter, weighing 183 lbs, containing four antennas and two radio transmitters. The Sputnik was able to orbit for 23 days and throughout that time it transmitted beeping radio signal to Earth. You can’t see its remains now because it smoldered when it came back to the Earth in January 1958.

It was this Soviet Union’s achievement that spurned other countries to take a good look on their own technological efforts. United States in particular hurriedly developed its own Satellite in December 1957. But sad to say that it did not even reach several feet up before it got caught up in flames. And then before US succeeded, Russia launched their second satellite the Sputnik 2.

Thanks to the Russians and their ingenuity with the Sputnik a whole new dimension to technology was opened.