October 4.
Yep, well, good start. Do you know happened fifty-four years ago today?
Ummm...I don't know. Considering it's coming from you, it's probably something space related.
Good guess! Fifty-four years ago today, the Soviet Union (now Russia) launched Sputnik 1, the very first artificial satellite to ever circle the globe.
Big deal. That thing's probably not even up there now, is it? And I don't suppose anyone still celebrates the fact, do they?
True, Sputnik 1 deorbited after exactly three months. And whether it's still a big deal? Well, have you ever heard of World Space Week?
No.
Okay, well, I don't blame you. I just found out about it a few weeks ago when I was purusing a magazine calendar. I Googled it, and what do you know? World Space Week is an annual celebration of all things space, and is celebrated in over 55 nations. It's even the largest public space event on earth...or should I say, off it!
Haha, very nice!
* * *
Welcome to World Space Week, everybody! As you learned in my little introduction, it is a world-wide celebration of space, and is quite popular, too. It is held every October 4-10. Those (heretofore for me) weird dates were chosen because the Russians launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. It was the first satellite to ever circle the globe, and sent the Americans into hysterics. If the Russians could launch a satellite, what else could they do? Could they launch a bomb on Sputnik, and then deploy it from orbit? Most importantly, however, was the issue of American superiority. Since Russia had launched Sputnik, suddenly Americans weren't at the top of the technological heap anymore! In fact, the Russians continued to pull off "space firsts" for over a decade before America took the lead.
Diversion: listen to what Sputnik actually sounded like, here!
But back to World Space Week, which from now on I may simply abbreviate as "WSW". Every day, between today and October 10, I will post some kind of space-themed blog article each day. Some days, it may be an article like this, or even a book or website review. Other days, it may simply be a stunning space photo or video. And while that's happening, I'll have a poll going on, too! If you just go up to the top bar of my blog, just click on "Space Poll" (or something like that!) and you will get there. The poll will consist of three photos taken in space, which in my mind are the three most iconic images ever captured during the early years of space exploration. You can vote in several different ways. You can simply vote for your favorite pic in the left sidebar of my blog, or leave a comment on one of my blog posts. Or, if you know my e-mail or Facebook, you can contact me that way. The poll's up next for tomorrow!Okay. I myself have a little history with Sputnik, in fact. This past summer, I attended a summer camp which hosted a special extravaganza on one night of camp. There is lots of fun food and games, and each year the theme is different. This past year, the theme was "The Fifties". When I got the e-mail, my parents started to try and explain what '50s dress would look like, and what that culture was like. Midway through talking, I interrupted them and exclaimed, "Sputnik! I need to do something with Sputnik!" As you know, of course, that Sputnik was launched in 1957.
My parents thought that was a grand idea! So before the time for camp came, my father and I scurried around town, buying supplies and creating our own model of Sputnik (see picture)! Dad lent me his lab coat, and we bought a few other accents to finish off my professor/rocket scientist costume. All finished, the Sputnik model must've been four or five feet tall. While not exactly perfect, I thought we did a pretty fine job replicating the world's first satellite!
Camp came, and so too the night for the extravaganza. As I carefully donned my costume in the cabin, my cabinmates eagerly took turns trying to guess who I was portraying. When Sputnik came out (it had been in a bag in the closet), they just loved it. To them, Sputnik was a huge hit and a wonderful idea.
That was just a foretaste of what was to come! As the entire camp (150+ campers, around 70-80 staff) lined up for the line call which preceded the extravaganza, everyone just kept smiling at me or giving me a thumbs-up. At the extravaganza proper, many people would come up to me and say, "Is that Sputnik?" and then grin when I affirmed their belief. I was even able to give out little "'50's Space History" cards that told all about Sputnik! All in all, I had a grand time telling people about space history!
However, the memories didn't end that night. Twice in the end-of-week show, me and Sputnik were featured! And when we would come on screen, the entire camp gave a huge approving roar. It was something not to be forgotten. Even now, months after camp has ended, campers will come up to me in a store and say, "Hey, aren't you that guy who had Sputnik??" Even the camp staff, when I periodically meet up with them, will remembered me as "that teen with Sputnik!"
I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm bragging a bit, because I'm really not. I'm just trying to relate a really fun experience I had with Sputnik, and of educating more people about the wonders of space history. Well, that wraps it all up for today. See you tomorrow!
~Photobug
Disclaimer: I have not been paid or compensated in any way to participate in World Space Week. I have registered on their website (www.worldspaceweek.org; go to Calendar and then to 2011 Calender. Scroll down until you see the "Global" events, click on "Detail" for the event titled "A Week of Space Exploration & Fun". That's me!) so that I may have permission to use the official WSW artwork in connection with my WSW posts. Other than that, I am participating in WSW just because I love space history and want to share that interest with others.
No comments:
Post a Comment