Question 1

True or false: Sputnik 1 carried a dog named Laika on board.

Accepted Answer

False. False. Sputnik 2 carried Laika one month later. Sputnik 1 had no living passengers, only radio transmitters.

Question 2

True or false: Sputnik 1 was the size of a beach ball and weighed about 184 pounds.

Accepted Answer

True. True. It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm (23 in) in diameter, weighing 83.6 kg.

Question 3

True or false: The United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, just hours after Sputnik.

Accepted Answer

False. False. Explorer 1 launched nearly 4 months later, on January 31, 1958, after several failed attempts.

Question 4

True or false: Sputnik 1 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Accepted Answer

True. True. The launch site was the Tyuratam range in Kazakhstan, later known as Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Question 5

True or false: Sputnik's batteries died after only 3 weeks in orbit.

Accepted Answer

True. True. The batteries lasted 22 days, but the satellite continued orbiting until January 1958.

Question 6

True or false: Sputnik 1 was visible to the naked eye as a bright, steady star.

Accepted Answer

True. True. Its highly reflective surface and tumbling made it visible in twilight skies across the globe.

Question 7

True or false: Sputnik’s radio signal was transmitted on frequencies that ham operators could hear.

Accepted Answer

False. False. This is actually true; it broadcast on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz, easily picked up by amateur radios.

Question 8

True or false: Sputnik 1 was the first human-made object to reach space.

Accepted Answer

False. False. That was the V-2 rocket in 1944. Sputnik was the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth.

Sputnik launch 1957 Trivia Questions