How big was sputnik 1?

Question by calibound1229: How big was sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite?

about the size of which of the following:
a basketball
a car
or a school bus

Answers and Views:

Answer by Cristi@n
The satellite weighed about 83 kg (184 pounds). The Sputnik 1 satellite was a 58.0 cm-diameter aluminum sphere that carried four whip-like antennas that were 2.4-2.9 m long. The antennas looked like long “whiskers” pointing to one side. It had two radio transmitters (20 and 40 MHz) and is believed to have orbited Earth at a height of about 250 km (150 miles). Analysis of the radio signals was used to gather information about the electron density of the ionosphere. Temperature and pressure were encoded in the duration of radio beeps, indicating the satellite was not punctured by a meteorite. Sputnik 1 was launched by an R-7 rocket. It incinerated upon re-entry on January 3, 1958.

Sputnik was the first of several satellites in the Soviet Union’s Sputnik program, the majority of them successful. Sputnik 2 followed as the second satellite in orbit, also the first to carry an animal, the dog Laika. The first failure occurred with Sputnik 3.

Read all the answers in the comments.

Know better? Leave your own answer!