Sputnik

Sputnik 1

Phoenix LeCavalier

8/21/19

Sputnik 1 was the first manmade satellite in space and kicked off the Space Race between the opposing forces of the United States and the Soviet Union. This was a Russian satellite launched from Gagarin’s Start on October 4, 1957 at 7:28 AM. Sputnik was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm./ 22 inches in diameter) and weighed 83.6 kg or 183.9 lbs (Source). This small metal probe was a shock to the United States and “led directly to the creation of NASA” (Source). There were five different purposes Sputnik had and those were to “test the method of placing an artificial satellite into Earth orbit; provide information on the density of the atmosphere by calculating its lifetime in orbit; test radio and optical methods of orbital tracking; determine the effects of radio wave propagation through the atmosphere; and to check principles of pressurization used on the satellites” (Source). Sputnik orbited the Earth for three weeks before running out of power and continued to orbit for two additional months before plummeting into the atmosphere on January 4th, 1958 (Source).

Is Sputnik 1 a robot? Let’s evaluate! There are six characteristics a robot must have, a body, a brain, a program, actuators, sensors, and behavior. Sputnik 1 does have a body in the form of a reflective metallic ball which works for it’s purposes of beaming back radio transmissions from two simple radio transmitters, a small ventilator fan, and three silver-zinc batteries to power it all (Source). Sputnik 1 doesn’t really have a brain since all it has are two radio transmitters but it can send data back to Earth and “was not designed to be controlled” (Source). One thing that Sputnik 1 had was a program. The program was to basically send transmissions back to Earth and to make the ventilator fan run. It was fairly simple but it was a first. The only actuator Sputnik had was it’s fan (Source). Usually robots would have more actuators than just a fan but it’s still technically an actuator. Sputnik does have sensors in the form of pressure sensors, a temperature sensor, and others. These were used to gain useful data about space and our planet for us back on Earth (Source). However, Sputnik has no real discernible behavior other than transmitting data back to Earth which doesn’t really count since behavior usually involves specific movements and other factors. Is Sputnik 1 a robot? I would say no since Sputnik 1 lacks a real brain, it’s program is very basic which is less of a problem but it’s still something to take note of, actuators other than a fan, and any real behavior. Even though Sputnik 1 doesn’t fit the definition of a robot, one thing it surely is is a testament as to where our technological advancements can lead us.