Without looking it up……
Is Sputnik 1 still in orbit? What say ye?
Is Sputnik 1 still in orbit? What say ye?
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Today’s trivia……
- Thread starter Mailman
- Start date
Nope.... highly unlikely/impossible. Launched in the late '50s with no way to adjust it's orbit, it most likely burned up within 5 yrs of launch.
On 4 January 1958, after three months in orbit, Sputnik 1 burned up while reentering Earth's atmosphere, having completed 1,440 orbits of the Earth, and travelling a distance of approximately 70,000,000 km (43,000,000 mi).
Ha! But would it surprise you to learn that this satellite, Vanguard 1, launched in 1958 is still in orbit and projected to stay there another 250 years? Small enough to hold in one hand and only weighing roughly 3 pounds, it was the 4th object ever to be placed in orbit! 
