Fifty years ago today, a beeping metal ball called Sputnik was launched into the blue yonder – and the course of human history was forever changed.

It's been 50 years since the world's first satellite, Sputnik, was launched, marking the dawn of the space age and sparking the race to land a man on the moon.

Object Details Author Weitekamp, Margaret A. Editor Collins, Martin J. Citation Weitekamp, Margaret A. 2007. "Sputnik's Reverberation through Popular Culture." In After Sputnik: 50 Years of the Space ...

Citation Neufeld, Michael J. 2007. " Promoting Space Exploration before Sputnik: The Collier's Space Series, 1952-1954." In After Sputnik: 50 Years of the Space Age. Collins, Martin J., editor. 36.