up up and away

it 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 first, nobody except its creators knew what it looked like or what it was doing. All that was clear was that the Soviet Union had ushered in a new era -- and had taken a technological leap ahead of the U.S.
The Soviets launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, on October 4, 1957. Forty years later, the Cold War is over, and the Russian space program frightens only its own cosmonauts. It's difficult to recapture the sense of paranoia and self-doubt that Sputnik created in the U.S., but The New York Times' coverage of that week helps a bit. If journalism is the first draft of history, this was an especially rough draft, because the Soviets released information about the satellite in limited bursts, leaving much to speculation. But the paper's stories delved into the political and military implications of the Soviet feat, while managing to convey a sense of wonder. After all, the first step into space was an achievement that transcended politics.
This special presentation of The New York Times on America Online includes articles and photos from the first week following Sputnik's launch, coverage of the U.S. response and the early days of the space race, and a directory of related websites.

You can listen to the sound of Sputnik in AU format (110K) or in RealAudio.