Sputnik Revolutioned Technology 50 Years Ago
posted 6:48 pm Thu October 04, 2007 - Charleston
October fourth may not ring a bell as a significant anniversary in the history of the world, but it should.
The Russians pushed everyone forward into the space age with the launch of a rocket bearing Sputnik, the first satellite.
“When I was growing up nobody was really interested in the solar system much,” said Professor Robert Dukes of The College of Charleston’s Physics and Astronomy Department.
“Astronomy, not that long ago, was entirely based on optical ground based telescopes,” added Professor Jon Hakkila, Chair of The College of Charleston’s Physics and Astronomy Department.
Then came the space age. Duke's was in his parents car in St.
Louis 50 years ago to the day and remembers the scene vividly.
“The news came on the radio. We must have been listening to music or something, broke in with this beep, beep, beep sound. The Russians had launched the first artificial satellite,” said Dukes.
The space race was on, and many Americans were fearful.
“One of the main concerns was they would figure out how to put nuclear weapons in space,” said Hakkila.
50-years-ago Sputnik changed the scientific community, not only in the Soviet Union, but also in the United States.
The satellite furthered disciplines like astronomy, that kept us all looking skyward.
“I decided I wanted to be an astronomer at approximately the same time,” Duke said.
All sciences benefited from the exploration of the final frontier, we even found out the moon was not made of cheese.
“The way we think of the solar system now is almost like it's a part of our back yard, and certainly without sputnik we never would have ever dreamed about it,” said Hakkila.
Well dream on, the sky is no longer the limit with the advancement of technology, and the race for space.
The Physics and Astronomy Department at the College of Charleston will host an open house at eight pm Friday in room 125 of the Hollings Science Center.
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