# Sputnik - still orbiting the earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944 "2011-09-02T13:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EarlyMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@EarlyMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlyMan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/1 "2011-09-02T13:23:45Z")
Hi Gang - Since my Wife’s Birthday is the same day that Sputnik was launched (no, I won’t tell you the date!) :eek:, I got to wondering whether or not it was still orbiting the earth, or whether it had crashed and burned long ago. EarlyMan ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/2 "2011-09-02T13:27:31Z")
Sputnik 1 de-orbited on January 4, 1958. I don’t think you’re very likely to find it. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/3 "2011-09-02T13:28:41Z")
It reentered and burnt up in the atmosphere on Jan. 4, 1958. > **[Sputnik 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1)** > > Sputnik 1 (/ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk/, Russian: Спутник-1, Satellite 1) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries ran out. Aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958. > It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm (23 in) in diameter with four external radio ... ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/4 "2011-09-02T13:29:23Z")
It was only in orbit for three months and then re-entered the atmosphere: > **[Sputnik 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1)** > > Sputnik 1 (/ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk/, Russian: Спутник-1, Satellite 1) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries ran out. Aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958. > It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm (23 in) in diameter with four external radio ... friedo has already answered this, but I’ll leave my answer for the link. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/5 "2011-09-02T13:40:11Z")
But what I’ve been trying to find out is: Is it still in orbit, and if not, how long was it, and when did it crash? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/6 "2011-09-02T13:44:50Z")
And where can I find a link to information about it? ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/7 "2011-09-02T13:48:01Z")
Back in the day, Sputnik was a really big deal. I remember going out in the yard with my parents to watch it passing overhead. As a kid, I didn’t know why it was a big deal, I just thought it was cool. I used to listen to Willy Ley records on our big Magnavox stereo console. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/8 "2011-09-02T13:51:18Z")
Thank God it lasted more than twenty minutes, and made more than one orbit, or we would never hear the end of it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/9 "2011-09-02T13:55:27Z")
Not the first Sputnik, I believe, but the fourth satellite crashed on a road in Wisconsin: > **[Manitowoc, WI - Sputnik Crashed Here](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/12959)** > > Visit reports, news, maps, directions and info on Sputnik Crashed Here in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. > **[Manitowoc, Wisconsin: Sputnik IV Crash Site 48 Years Ago 5SEP1962 10SEP2010](https://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/2010/09/manitowoc-wisconson-sputnik-iv-crash.html)** > > A blog about meteors, meteorites, fireballs, bolides, meteorites, meteor showers, comets. Make a meteor sighting report on this website. Thank you. I don’t think any of Sputnik 1 reached the ground. > [@](#): > > Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958, as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere, after travelling about 60 million km (37 million miles) and spending 3 months in orbit. > **[Sputnik 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1)** > > Sputnik 1 (/ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk/, Russian: Спутник-1, Satellite 1), sometimes referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries became depleted. Aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958. > It was a polished metal sphere ... ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/10 "2011-09-02T13:58:28Z")
Duran Duran wrote a song about it. It was titled “Rio.” ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/11 "2011-09-02T14:03:40Z")
Wasn’t Sputnik 3 called “Hi Opal”? ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/12 "2011-09-02T15:25:25Z")
> [@EarlyMan](#): > > Hi Gang - > Since my Wife’s Birthday is the same day that Sputnik was launched (no, I won’t tell you the date!) , > > EarlyMan Ha! October 4th! 🙂 (Happy slightly-early Birthday to your wife.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/13 "2011-09-02T15:45:39Z")
It was a big tragedy when it crashed because the little dog inside of it nicknamed Sputs also died. That’s why there was so much controversy when Budweiser mocked the Russians with Sputs Mackenziwich. They had to change the name when it almost led to a nuclear confrontation. Fortunately Khrushchev blinked after being given a t-shirt showing Spuds as “the original party animal.” This tribute to Communism saved the planet. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/14 "2011-09-02T16:15:15Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > But what I’ve been trying to find out is: Is it still in orbit, and if not, how long was it, and when did it crash? No—sadly, a passing Klingon Battlecruiser used it for target practice sometime in the late 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/15 "2011-09-02T16:16:09Z")
Leaving aside the obvious jokes there, Laika the dog was on Sputnik 2 (AKA Muttnik), not the original, and was euthanized while still in space, well before re-entry. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/16 "2011-09-02T16:36:53Z")
The OP may be interested to know that the oldest man made object still in orbit is [Vanguard 1](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_1), launched in 1964. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/17 "2011-09-02T17:00:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Leaving aside the obvious jokes there, Laika the dog was on Sputnik 2 (AKA Muttnik), not the original, and was euthanized while still in space, well before re-entry. According to the [Russians](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_2), she actually died after only a few hours in orbit due to overheating and stress. They did have plans to euthanize her with poisoned food but it was not necessary. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/18 "2011-09-02T17:02:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Leaving aside the obvious jokes there, Laika the dog was on Sputnik 2 (AKA Muttnik), not the original, and was euthanized while still in space, well before re-entry. No, the dog died of [hyperthermia](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/2367681.stm). ETA: Dang. **Rain Soaked** beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/19 "2011-09-02T17:05:25Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > The OP may be interested to know that the oldest man made object still in orbit is [Vanguard 1](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_1), launched in 1964. You mean 1958? I think '64 was when Vanguard ceased operation. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/20 "2011-09-02T17:21:17Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > You mean 1958? I think '64 was when Vanguard ceased operation. Right you are, thank you. Now it’s even more impressive! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944.md?page=2)