LEGO Space

THE SPACE AGE

“Man must understand his universe in order to understand his destiny.

Who knows what mysteries will be solved in our lifetime, and what new

riddles will become the challenge of the new generations?”

—Neil Armstrong

In October 1957, an elite group of Soviet scientists

made history. The world’s rst man-made orbi tal satel-

lite, Sputnik, launched from the Tyuratam Complex in

Kazakh. The event marked the dawn of the SpaceAge.

After blasting free from Earth’s gravity, Sputnik settled

into its planned orbit and began transmitting informa-

tion back to Earth. The scientists were jubilant as they

established radio contact with the world’s rst articial

satellite.

The compact sphere made a complete orbit every

96.2minutes, transmitting a continuous pattern of beeps

to radio operators across the globe. Sputnik exceeded

its creators’ expectations, dispatching information for

22 days before losing battery power. A valuable com-

ponent of these signals was environmental telemetry,

including atmospheric temperature and pressure read-

ings. A decaying orbit drew the satellite slowly back to

Earth, and after three months in space, Sputnik burned

up as it reentered the atmosphere.

Above: Radio operators in the United States were able to pick up

Sputnik’s signals. It came as a shock to learn that the USSR had

pulled ahead in the Space Race.

Top: Sputnik spent three months circling Earth, traveling at

speeds of around 18,000 miles per hour.

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In response to the success of Sputnik, President

Eisenhower ramped up the American space program

and created the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA). The failed launch of the

AmericanVanguard TV3, just months after Sputnik, only

increased NASA’s resolve. Manned launches soon fol-

lowed the satellites. Again, the Soviet Union won the

race, with Yuri Gagarin being the rst man to reach outer

space. It was a unique age of scientic exploration.

Just 12 years after Sputnik orbited Earth, the rst humans

stepped onto the surface of the Moon. The American

Apollo landings were a breathtaking demonstration of

technology, engineering, and the human spirit.

But three years later, the lunar program came to an

abrupt end. Sending astronauts to the Moon was pro-

hibitively expensive, and public interest in the program

was in decline. Plans for a manned mission to Mars were

shelved as the projected budget spiraled out of control.

The chance of mission failure, and subsequent loss of

crew, was analyzed and deemed unacceptably high.

Above: On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first

human to leave a footprint on the Moon’s surface.

Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon were watched on

television by an estimated 600 million people.

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