Sputnik: The Launch of the Space Race

by paul-dickson

The full story behind one of the 20th century’s most dramatic events – the launch of the space raceOn October 4, 1957, as Leave It to Beaver premiered on American television, the Soviet Union issued an announcement that stunned the world. Their scientists had successfully sent Sputnik I – an 84-kilogram sphere with only a radio transmitter inside its highly polished shell – into orbit around the Earth. It was the first man-made object in space.In this engaging and far-reaching book, Paul Dickson chronicles the dramatic developments leading up to and emanating from Sputnik. With the support of groundbreaking research and recently declassified documents, he offers a fascinating profile of the early space programs and a strikingly revised picture of the politics and personalities behind the efforts to get into space. Although Sputnik was unmanned, its story is intensely human, from the visionary Soviet engineers whose theories were ahead of their time to the public-relations specialists who created one of the greatest publicity events of all time.In a single weekend, the West was wrenched out of a mood of smugness and post-war material comfort. Initial fear of the Soviets’ intentions galvanized the United States and swiftly prompted innovative developments that define our world today. Sputnik influenced nearly every aspect of North American life, from the demise of the suddenly superfluous tail fin and an immediate shift towards science in the classroom, to the arms race that defined the Cold War, the competition to reach the Moon, and the birth of the Internet.From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Space, Science, Politics, Soviet Union, Audiobook

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2001

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Dickson's Sputnik: The Shock of the Century is one of the few book-length overviews of the event that launched the space age. It covers events leading up to the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik I satellite in October 1957, and analyzes cultural and political reactions after the fact.

Dickson prepares the ground for Sputnik by covering the establishment of the International Geophysical Year, 1957-58. Both the US and USSR had already been engaged in scientific gamesmanship for more than a decade--especially nuclear weaponry. Billed as the key scientific year of the decade (if not the century), the IGY was the battle royal that finally resulted--with Sputnik's success--in an incredible boost to Soviet prestige around the world.

Dickson points out--as others have also done--that the shock of Sputnik was not only a defeat for the west but also--more importantly--a major challenge to American prestige. Sputnik was the catalyst for a major transformation in the US educational system and in American industry, whose mindsets shifted almost overnight to emphasize science and technology. The US was suddenly and actively motivated to seek out ways of beating the Soviets in this new high ground. It would take years for the Americans to finally catch up, while the Soviets enjoyed a long string of firsts in addition to the first Sputnik.

My big takeaway from the book was how it helped shift my thinking about why Sputnik matters. Like many others, I had always regarded Sputnik as an embarrassment to American pride, showing that we were desperately behind the Soviets in this endeavor, and that Sputnik was a bucket of cold water in our faces. Well, yes it was, but what I didn't realize was that President Eisenhower knew we needed a good swift kick in the ass to get our rocket programs off the ground, and he anticipated--correctly--that this was the motivation we needed to do that.

This is a popular history, and more scholarly works centered around the Sputnik phenomenon may already exist. (McDougall's The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age--which precedes Dickson's book--is the most obvious example, but it takes a broader view than just Sputnik.) As a work focusing on Sputnik, events leading up to that mission and its effects afterward, Dickson's book succeeds as a readable account of one of the pivotal events of the 20th century.

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's an indication of the high quality of a given work that it can have been brought out by a general publisher, that has since been merged out of existence, only to be picked up by a fairly prestigious academic press; though Nebraska has a mission of serving the general reader as much as the academician.

By this point the main thrust of this book is fairly well-known, in that there was really not much reason for shock about Sputnik. In scientific and government circles it was common knowledge that the Soviets were going to attempt to launch a satellite into space during the, so-called, International Geophysical Year. What is still not appreciated by many people is that Eisenhower saw a virtue in letting the Soviets go first, as that would be a practical declaration of space being an open commons, and providing an opportunity for a new era of space-based reconnaissance operations. What no one foresaw is that Sputnik, particularly the large Sputnik III, would open the eyes of people to just what Soviet technology was capable of. Not helping matters is that the U.S. Army (patron of Werner von Braun), and its civilian advocates, saw a golden opportunity to wage organizational war on the U.S. Air Force in the never-ending jurisdictional battle over funding and missions, and gain political traction against Eisenhower; can you say "missile gap?"

So, if you're interested in the nuances of the early days of the Space Age, this is still a worthwhile book to read.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A work of government propaganda from a true believer. Like people say Covid has done this and that, although it is the Government who imposes the restrictions, Dickson is way too simple minded to grasp that Sputnik did nothing, Sputnik is just an object in the sky. More, the Soviet scientists and engineers also did nothing. It is the Government employees in the US that started to wave the flags to get a bigger cut of the taxes collected. I am not arguing that one gesture is good or bad. I am not arguing that something was necessary or just an ego trip for some bureaucrat. I am pointing out that Dickson lacks the mental skills to do anything beyond sorting an incomplete chronology.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more nuanced account of the launch of Sputnik and the American reaction than is usually presented. The author particularly pays attention to Eisenhower's plan for the American space effort, focused on surveillance satellites, and how the USSR launching first actually worked to America's advantage by establishing space as international. (Ike may have wanted the Soviets to go first for that reason.) The book is a departure from the popular narrative of America caught sleeping, hopelessly behind the Soviets, etc.

[Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book struck me as struggling to be much more, or much less, as if somewhere there was a better book trying to get out. The first 100 or so pages (about 1/3 of the text) is (to me) a somewhat cursory history of rocket development from ancient China through Robert Goddard, Hermann Oberth, to Werner von Braun and the German V-2 work. I could have done without this, and you probably can, too, if you've read any prior histories of space exploration. This material felt like it was tacked as a publisher's suggestion to add pages.

The meat of Dickson's research, the year or so leading up to the USSR's Sputnik launch, with the eventual matching achievement by the US, is very well done, bringing out several important points. First, the frustration of the US team at not being allowed to send up a satellite earlier, which fed and was a result of inter-service rivalries. Second, the differences between the US and Soviet approaches (US - technologically more advanced, focused on multiple objectives with each launch; Soviet - based on somewhat simpler technology, generally one goal per launch; but see recent articles on Soviet rocket engines, which achieved much higher thrust for weight of fuel expended, and still do.) And finally, the apparent complacency of the Eisenhower administration at being "beaten" by the USSR, which actually pleased the president as it established the open skies policy meaning the US could overfly the Soviet Union at will for satellite reconnaissance, leading to the important CORONA series of launches spanning decades.

[Al Onia · Rating 4 out of 5]

1957 marked the beginning of The International Geophysical Year, a multi-country, 18-month cooperative investigation into the earth's properties. To the surprise, shock and wonder of the members and the world, the USSR put their mark on it by launching Sputnik.
Dickson's massively researched history offers an in-depth and balanced view of Sputnik's impact on the Cold War, America's hubris and public expectations of science and technology ever since.
I was a mere tadpole when the satellite went up but it spurred on a small surplus optics company called Edmund Scientific to re-invent themselves as a mail-order giant. Their telescope ads in Popular Science Magazine grabbed me and a decade later, I was able to scrape the $30 together to buy their 3" Space Conqueror reflector. Though, not mentioned by Dickson, 1957 also saw the creation of the first model rocket company by G. Harry Stine (a professional White Sands rocketeer) and Vern Estes. Two hobbies from the IGY. And a career as a geophysicist, listening to the earth.
Though published in 2002, Sputnik goes beyond mere history, it offers a relevant look at our struggles with science, much of which is based in technology arising from the 1960's full-bore 'Space Race'.

[Javier Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-documented, and thoroughly engaging book about one of the great scientific feats of the 20th century, journalist Paul Dickson explains the world before, during, and after the launch of the first manmade artificial satellite by the Soviet Union. The event was to become a springboard to American scientific, technological, and military response to the challenge. With clear conviction and passion, Mr. Dickson outlines how the space race developed, from the first physics principles to the ultimate development of reconnaissance and communication satellite networks we use today. The reality that the world moves with the help of numerous satellites orbiting ahead gives this moment and this book the weight it describes. Well worth the read!

[RebeccaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book (somewhat) randomly at the library, never really intending to read through all of it, but I did! Though not so narrative-y or dramatic as some of the other non-fiction I've read recently, it held my interest and did a good job of mixing fact and story-telling. That said, it likely would not appeal to anyone not already interested in space and the space race.

If I could, I'd give it 4.5 stars - well-written but just missing that little extra something that would make it a fantastic narrative non-fiction (like The Boys in the Boat or The Billion Dollar Spy)

[Timothy Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating how one satellite shocked America

I was interested in how Sputnik shaped the early space race. Reading this book details just how unprepared and shocked the United States was to learn that the USSR had the technology to launch a object into earth orbit. An extremely thought provoking insight into how two superpowers attempted to succeed the other country with unproven technology, initially just for pride into bettering the other country. Later to develop the technology for weapons of war and mass destruction. Well worth the purchase

[Elysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is interesting as a piece of social history, but it wasn't interesting to me as I was looking for history about Sputnik itself. This book focused on the reaction of the United States about Sputnik, and the first hundred pages detailed the beginning of the US space program. It was an okay read but not what I was looking for. It briefly mentions the reactions of the rest of the world, but this book really is about the reaction from the US rather than the Russian space program.

[Dave Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating history of the early satellite era and how the launch of the Sputnik satellite fueled the Cold War, the creation of NASA, the race to the moon and the Apollo missions, among others. And it's pronounced "spoot-nick", if you're curious.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting trip down memory lane. Would have been more interesting if it had dwelt much more upon the educationl and social ramifications than a history of the resulting space race, particularly the effect the new math had on the post Sputnik baby boomers.

[Todd Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed account of the Soviet Space program and the American reaction. If you like me like to look up names and other items from a book this gives you many points to do it. Really enjoyed this book.

[Susan Forest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripple effects from the launch of Sputnik on October, 1957, changed Russia, the USA, the space race, the cold war, and the world in multiple surprising ways. This detailed history reaches back into the roots of rocketry and politics to clarify numerous moving parts in this fascinating story.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool, a little too much pro American. Would have loved to get more of the Soviet mindset or even process outside of the American point of view (which is sort of what I was expecting). Factual read I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introduction to the impact of Sputnik on the world. Dickson focuses mainly on the US and its responses, with only limited attention to the Soviet program and its follow-ons.

[David R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dickson's mission is to explain to modern audiences how the launch of the USSR's "Sputnik 1" in October 1957 impacted the American psyche. There's definitely some historical narrative reaching as far back as Tsiolkovsky and Goddard and to the opening acts of the manned space program. There's a great deal more matter on the intrigues of the early space program largely involving the camp of Wernher von Braun on one side and the Eisenhower Administration on the other. And it is this arena where Dickson is seemingly of two minds. It is clear he has utmost distaste for Eisenhower, yet explains how Ike calmly navigated the tightrope of U.S.-Soviet relations and made use of Sputnik for greater ends. Dickson is less successful giving meaning to Sputnik as it impacted American culture and education. Was it a curse? or gift? Read for yourself.

[Jennifer]

This book did an excellent job of capturing both the excitement and fear that the launch of Sputnik brought to America in the autumn of 1957. It provides a solid background history on the rocket and how the idea of the satellite blossomed in the early 20th century. But what really makes this book is its explanation of what both the short and long-term consequences of Sputnik were on our politics, culture, education, technology, and economy were. When you read this you realize how amazing some of these developments were and how fast they took place. That we decided to send a man to the moon within ten years and then did still seems unreal to me. Well written with interesting details from a wide variety of sources.

[Sherif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review of the 50s and beyond with regards to the beginning of the space race and the first advancements in space technology.

Does a great job at describing the social climate and other relevant Cold War circumstances in the United States during that era, which is necessary to properly understand the impact and consequences of Sputnik.

[David Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, full of wonderful details that accompanied the true beginning of the Space Age, including the relevant history up to Sputnik's launch, the people behind the scenes, and the amazing global events that followed.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much to learn in this book! I'd never understood the extent to which the Cold War 'space race' and 'arms race' were indistinguishable.

[Skip Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, I'm riveted.

[Charles Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent account of the hysteria surrounding Sputnik. The author goes into great detail in a relatively few pages. Takes you back to 1957.

[David Guretzki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a good narrative of the space race more generally, but in reality the attention given to Sputnik itself amounts to maybe only a third of the book.

[Lauren Koop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great ! Learned so much about Sputnik! Very interesting!!

[Paul Tullar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heard about the space race, but this book explained it. Cost of this race 300 billon

[Odhran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very US-focused for a book called 'Sputnik', but still an interesting read. I'm more up on the Soviet side of things, so this was a nice addition. Best on the cultural ramifications.

[Captain Cocanutty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers the space race in general, but also covers concurrent events that shaped the reactions and effect of Sputnik.

[Mike Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!