Monument
«Launch of the first Earth satellite»
There are not so many monuments in Russia that are connected with the launch of the first artificial satellite of the Earth. There is one of such rare specimens which stands on Lilac Boulevard in Moscow. On October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite of the Earth, Sputnik-1, codenamed PS-1 (“Simplest Satellite-1”), was launched into the Earth orbit. The launch was carried out by the USSR from the 5th research range of the Ministry of Defence “Tyura-Tam”, later renamed the Baikonur cosmodrome, on a Sputnik carrier rocket created on the basis of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile. Such famous scientists as Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh, Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov and many others worked on the creation of an artificial satellite of the Earth, headed by the founder of practical cosmonautics Sergey Pavlovich Korolev. The satellite flew until January 4, 1958, having completed 1,440 revolutions around the Earth (about 60 million km), and its radio transmitters worked for three weeks after launch. Due to friction with the upper layers of the atmosphere, the satellite lost speed, entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and burned due to friction with the air. The monument “Launch of the first satellite of the Earth” was opened in 1977. The monument was made by the staff of the Salyut plant.
Address: Moscow, Lilac Boulevard
