Question by Zhou: Where is the world’s first satellite Sputnik I, now?
10 points for the best answer.
Where is Sputnik I now?
Answers and Views:
Answer by K
It burned up in the atmosphere 3 months after launch.
Read all the answers in the comments.
What do you think?
Regulus says
It's interesting that Vanguard I, the first satellite launched by the USA, is still in orbit today after over 51 years.
178 says
Gone burned up shortly after it was launched (3 months)…
I think you are probably wondering about what it would be like to have something that we launched a long time ago and how far away it would be?
Well, sputnik was never designed to leave our orbit, but you may be interested to know we currently have some Satellites that have officially left our solar system… Some were launched in the 1970's… Voyager is one of those…. They are currently still sending data back to earth and have a long time left before we think they will stop transmitting…
So if that is kinda what you were going for I figured I'd jump the gun….
All the sputnik satellites and others never left earths orbit.. Only these few were ever sent "out of orbit"…
The Russians do still have probes on other planets, as do we… they could in theory be found one day if we ever get a chance to visit those planets.
ngc7331 says
Unfortunately, Sputnik's orbit was not designed to be long-term. It re-entered Earth's atmosphere just three short months after it was launched. The details of it's precise re-entry location are not known, but if any part of it managed to make it to the surface, it would have probably landed in the ocean.
Sputnik II (or Muttnik as the Western nations called it), had a similar flight. It got that name because S2 carried a dog into orbit. Unfortunately for Laika (the dog), she only survived a few hours into her flight. It is suspected that a malfunction in the environmental controls caused her to perish. BUT, that still means she completed at least one full orbit (only takes 90 minutes to orbit Earth once) and perhaps even two full orbits.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Ciaron D says
Sputnik 1 burned up on 4 January 1958 as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth's atmosphere all that is left is the metal arming key It prevented contact between the batteries and the transmitter prior to launch. Currently on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
Vincent P says
Sputnik I is nowhere. It re-entered the atmosphere in January of '58 (launched in October) and burned up, probably entirely. If any parts of it do still exist, they're burned up husks of what they used to be, floating in an ocean or buried in Earth where no one will ever find them.
Ralfcoder says
it burned up on reentry.