# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/21 "2011-09-02T17:23:27Z")
> [@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. Cool! That page indicates that contact with it was lost in 1964. Does anyone know what the oldest manmade object still in orbit of and still in contact with the Earth is? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/22 "2011-09-02T19:16:47Z")
Isn’t it Sputnik? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/23 "2011-09-02T19:38:21Z")
> [@Rain\_Soaked](#): > > 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. I remember visiting the old Soviet space museum in Moscow, which was done up in Stalinist style, very heroic and monumental. And off in one corner, looking out of place, was a mock-up of a satellite with a little dog inside. So naturally we tourists all oohed and aahed over the cute little doggie, and someone asked the tour guide about its fate. “She died,” she said. “It was just a satellite. It couldn’t land.” And we all looked at each other like, man, those Russkies sure know how to harsh your mellow. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/24 "2011-09-02T19:41:16Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Isn’t it Sputnik? Nah, I read somewhere that it crashed and burned. I don’t remember when though. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/25 "2011-09-02T20:38:11Z")
> [@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. I initially read this as “the oldest man still in orbit.” ---
**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, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/26 "2011-09-02T21:57:31Z")
This turned out to be harder than I thought. You have to define what you mean by a working satellite. As you shall see, it’s not immediately obvious what constitutes the “oldest” satellite. [ATS-3](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATS-3), Launched on November 5th, 1967, is still operational but it was decommissioned in 2001. My understanding is, that with the right equipment, you can still talk to it. A younger semi-functional satellite found on this [site](http://www.ucsusa.org) (via an Excel spreadsheet) the oldest satellite in semi-operation is [Amsat-Oscar 7](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMSAT-OSCAR_7) launched on 11/15/1974. Talk about coming back from the dead. > [@](#): > > It remained operational until a battery failure in 1981. On 21 June 2002 the satellite was heard again on its 2 meter beacon (145.9775 MHz CW) after 21 years of silence, and 27 years in space. > > AMSAT reported AO-7 still semi-operational on 6 April 2006, with reliable power only from its solar panels; the report stated the cause of the outage was a short circuit in a battery and the restoration of service was due to its becoming an open circuit. The satellite eclipses on every orbit during the northern summer and autumn; the rest of the year it is in continuous sunlight and alternates between transmission modes A and B. > [@](#): > > As of August 2011, contacts with AO-7 are reported daily. [GOES-3](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOES_3), launched on 16 June 1978 is partially functional; it no longer sends images, but instead was converted for use for broadband communications between the Scott-Amundsen South Pole station and the USA (the link provides a fairly respectable 1.5 Mbs). The oldest mission fully operational satellite I can find is [Landsat 5](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsat_5) which was launched on March 1, 1984 and still provides images today. Maybe the Russians have older satellites, but I didn’t see any listed. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/27 "2011-09-03T00:23:05Z")
[The moon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_moon) has been orbiting Earth for some 4.5 billion years, and I can still track it optically on any cloudless night. I believe that answers the question of the oldest satellite we’re still in contact with. 😛 ---
**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 3, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/28 "2011-09-03T00:48:32Z")
> [@](#): > > GOES-3, launched on 16 June 1978 is partially functional; it no longer sends images, but instead was converted for use for broadband communications between the Scott-Amundsen South Pole station and the USA (the link provides a fairly respectable 1.5 Mbs). You can do better than that. The two Voyager probes (August 20 and September 5, 1977) are also still functional, and returning data, though only barely. Though I suppose it’s debatable whether something on an escape trajectory should be considered a “satellite”. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/29 "2011-09-03T01:07:04Z")
> [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](#): > > I remember going out in the yard with my parents to watch it passing overhead. You probably saw the rocket booster, which also went into orbit. Unless you were in very dark skies and knew precisely where to look, at sixth magnitude the satellite would have been hard to see without binoculars. The booster was about 100 times brighter. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/30 "2011-09-03T01:14:27Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I initially read this as “the oldest man still in orbit.” I think the answer to that is [Michael E. Fossum, age 53](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition28/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/31 "2011-09-03T01:16:34Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I initially read this as “the oldest man still in orbit.” I think that would be Timothy Leary. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/32 "2011-09-03T01:48:00Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > [The moon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_moon) has been orbiting Earth for some 4.5 billion years, and I can still track it optically on any cloudless night. I believe that answers the question of the oldest satellite we’re still in contact with. > > 😛 You’re good, **DrCube**. The best I can do is averages out to about 3 in 4 cloudless nights. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/33 "2011-09-03T01:55:16Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > No—sadly, a passing Klingon Battlecruiser used it for target practice sometime in the late 1950s. What style of weapon were they using? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/34 "2011-09-03T05:35:03Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > What style of weapon were they using? I heard they used a catapult that hurled mummified Russian dogs. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/35 "2011-09-03T05:58:02Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > [The moon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_moon) has been orbiting Earth for some 4.5 billion years, and I can still track it optically on any cloudless night. I believe that answers the question of the oldest satellite we’re still in contact with. > > 😛 If I recall the question correctly (and I hope I do, since I’m the one who asked it yesterday), it was about the oldest _manmade_ object we’re still in contact with. If you’re claiming that the moon is manmade then I’m going to have to ask for a cite! 😉 ---
**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 3, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/36 "2011-09-03T13:03:19Z")
> [@JWT\_Kottekoe](#): > > You probably saw the rocket booster, which also went into orbit. Unless you were in very dark skies and knew precisely where to look, at sixth magnitude the satellite would have been hard to see without binoculars. The booster was about 100 times brighter. Thinking about it now, I’m sure you’re right. The satellite itself was very small. It would have been difficult to see, even with binoculars. Still, I’m glad I saw the booster. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/37 "2011-09-03T13:30:49Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > If I recall the question correctly (and I hope I do, since I’m the one who asked it yesterday), it was about the oldest _manmade_ object we’re still in contact with. If you’re claiming that the moon is manmade then I’m going to have to ask for a cite! 😉 [You got it.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_is_made_of_green_cheese) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/38 "2011-09-03T19:14:30Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > No—sadly, a passing Klingon Battlecruiser used it for target practice sometime in the late 1950s. How would you know with their cloaking device? ---
**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 3, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/39 "2011-09-03T19:27:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You can do better than that. The two Voyager probes (August 20 and September 5, 1977) are also still functional, and returning data, though only barely. Though I suppose it’s debatable whether something on an escape trajectory should be considered a “satellite”. The scope of the OP suggested to me that we were talking about _man-made_, _earth orbiting S/C_. Otherwise, I could argue (continuing the debate, “what counts as a functional satellite?”) that Pioneer 10 (launched on March 2, 1972) could conceivably be the oldest operating interstellar spacecraft. There is still enough theoretical residue power to operate one or more on-board instruments, but with respect to transmitter, the distance and decline in the RTG power make it next to impossible to provide a usable downlink (the last successful telemetry received was on a April 27, 2002). ETA: Rats! I thought [Pioneer Six](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_6,_7,_8,_and_9) would have won the trophy (launched on December 16, 1965) as the oldest operational satellite–but with a heliocentric orbit, it falls outside the scope of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944/40 "2011-09-03T19:38:14Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > How would you know with their cloaking device? They filed an environmental impact report after the fact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sputnik-still-orbiting-the-earth/594944.md?page=3)