Fifty years ago, science fiction became science fact. On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union, having worked in complete secrecy, launched Sputnik I. Humankind's first man-made satellite, a tiny ball that ...
Sixty years ago Wednesday, a shiny metal ball weighing 184 pounds was hurled into space. It had always been a matter of when, not if, humans would launch something into orbit. The surprise to many ...