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Sputnik
The world's first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. An 83.6 kg aluminium sphere, it orbited Earth every 96 minutes and could be tracked by radio worldwide. Its primary significance was strategic: the R-7 rocket that launched it was the world's first ICBM, demonstrating Soviet capability to deliver nuclear warheads to the United States. In the USA, Sputnik triggered the "Sputnik shock," leading to the creation of NASA in 1958 and a dramatic increase in science education funding.