posted 10-11-2022 08:40 PM            

Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957. The strong reaction from the West showed Soviet dictator Nikita Khrushchev that space could contribute to soft power competition in the Cold War.

It also had an effect on nascent satellite programs in the United States, like Vanugard, as Marty Votaw recalled. After college in 1947, Martin Votaw worked at the Wave Propagation Research branch at the Naval Research Lab for three years. He then transferred to the Rocket Development branch to work for Roger Easton (my father) and made microwave transmitters for three Viking rocket launches. When the Vanguard program was approved, Votaw was assigned to work on ground antennas for receiving telemetry and tracking signals. He also worked on the small Vanguard 1 satellite.