Fifty Years ago today

the thermionic watercooler

Fifty Years ago today

Postby EWBrown » Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:04 am

The (former) Soviet Union (AKA Ivan the Necromancer) launched the first satellite into orbit. Sputnik (meaning "little traveller" ) was about the size of a basketball, and weighed around 180 pounds, and had four whip antennas which operated as simple dipoles for its two transmitters.
It was visible to the unaided eye, if one was at the right place at the right time, shortly after sunset, or before sunrise.

Sputnik transmitted a simple twice-per second "beep "beep beep beep" signal, which could be easily received on 20.005 and 40.005 MHz. Supposedly this beeping performed some very basic telemetry, in that it monitored the satellites internal temperature and the condition of Sputnik's three silver-nickel batteries. Each transmitter had its own battery, and the third one powered some small fans to circuiate the air inside the sealed sphere. The transmitters were tubed, and ran about one watt pulse-modulated CW output. The modulation frequency transferred the telemetry.

I remember hearing those eerie little beeps, my Dad had an old Hallicrafters SW receiver, and it was pretty easy to find and hear "Sputnik". The trick was to tune on WWV's 20 MC signal, then simply tweek the "bandspread" dial upwards a tiny bit, and then wait for an overhead pass. The satellite's signal lasted only a few days, until the batteryies were depleted, and its low orbit resulted in re-entry after just a few weeks.

The space race had begun...


/ed B in NH
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Postby mesherm » Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:30 pm

One could purchase a plastic scale model kit of the silly thing too. My neighbor had one sitting on his mantle. Ah the good old days of drive in hamburger joints and car hops. When many cars had spot lights on the driver side and would flash them on the drive in movie screen at intermission.
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