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Sputnik


waysider
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October 4, 2007 will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik I by the USSR.

Sputnik I was the very first artificial satellite.

I still remember our whole neighborhood going outdoors at the same time to marvel at the tiny speck as it made its way across the evening sky.

Oh, sure, there will be those who will say I'm just bitter and hanging on to the past.

There will be those who say I need to just get over it and move on, but--------------

OOPS! I was saving that part for another post. :biglaugh:

Anybody else remember it?

(Sputnik, that is.)

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Yeah, I remember it. It was the official kick-off point of all things space-related in pop culture for the next 8 or 10 years. In Seattle we still have the vestiges of that in the form of a restaurant downtown - the Space Needle.

The main thing I remember about that time though, was all the paranoia about the Rooskies kicking our butts in the "space race", and how they were gonna take over the world through space-domination or some sort of vague threat like that.

So we quicklike got our stuff together and joined in the race, (and started practicing getting under our desks and cover our eyes and ears in case they dropped the big one on our block). An odd time in history - sorta like now...

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Yeah, I remember about it. Not too much, though. I definitely remember the aftermath, though. JFK announcing we would go to the moon. Alan Shepherd, Gus Grissom, John Glenn.

What a lot of money and what are the results? Freeze dried food, for one thing. Any other benefits to all mankind, other than the Russians are taking potshots at us from the moon?

WG

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Go rent the movie "October Sky"

October 4, 2007 will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik I by the USSR.

Sputnik I was the very first artificial satellite.

I still remember our whole neighborhood going outdoors at the same time to marvel at the tiny speck as it made its way across the evening sky.

Oh, sure, there will be those who will say I'm just bitter and hanging on to the past.

There will be those who say I need to just get over it and move on, but--------------

OOPS! I was saving that part for another post. :biglaugh:

Anybody else remember it?

(Sputnik, that is.)

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Rumrunner

I had never heard of that movie so I googled it.

It sounds like my kind of flick.

According to what I read, it is based on a book called Rocket Boys.

The article goes on to say that the title of the movie was changed to October Sky (which is an anagram for Rocket Boys) in an effort to appeal to a wider audience.

I think I'm going to visit the local library and see if I can get a copy of both.

Thanks for the suggestion.

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It's a good cine...fairly accurate rendition of the young years of Homer Hickam. Google his name for more info. Went on to become a NASA engineer in the shuttle program. If you remember Sputnik you'll enjoy this movie a good bit. Completely safe for kids of any age as well.

Rumrunner

I had never heard of that movie so I googled it.

It sounds like my kind of flick.

According to what I read, it is based on a book called Rocket Boys.

The article goes on to say that the title of the movie was changed to October Sky (which is an anagram for Rocket Boys) in an effort to appeal to a wider audience.

I think I'm going to visit the local library and see if I can get a copy of both.

Thanks for the suggestion.

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I wasn't even a twinkle in my daddy's eye at that time, but I do remember reading with fascination about Laika. She was on the Sputnik II, though.

I do remember watching 'October Sky' and marvel at how "boring" history was when I was growing up - now I can't get enough of it. Thanks for that link, Waysider! I didn't realize some of those things came from the space program. But, where is TANG?? I don't see Tang on the list?? :P

laika_mockup.gif

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I wasn't even a twinkle in my daddy's eye at that time, but I do remember reading with fascination about Laika. She was on the Sputnik II, though.

I do remember watching 'October Sky' and marvel at how "boring" history was when I was growing up - now I can't get enough of it. Thanks for that link, Waysider! I didn't realize some of those things came from the space program. But, where is TANG?? I don't see Tang on the list?? :P

laika_mockup.gif

Why did they have to send a cute dog up there? Why not alligators? The world would be a much better place if we knew that there were hundreds of frozen Alligators in space, locked in suspended animation by the deep freeze, just waiting to fall from the sky and be re-animated to eat all of us. They recently said that germs sent to outer space come back more deadly -- can you imagine what would happen with an alligator?

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HA!

Tonight's the night!!!

(For Sputnik, that is.)

50 years ago tonight.

I think I'll go outside tonight and look up at the sky just for "shirts and girdles".

Probably won't see many neighbors this time, though.

Kinda makes me wonder what is happening in the world today that people will be discussing 50 years from now like we've been discussing Sputnik.

Do you think you realize it when you are "living in a moment"?

In other words, if you were present that momentous day when Dr. King gave his "I have a dream" speech, did you feel you were part of history in the making, or does that realization only appear in retrospect?

Just a thought.

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