The satellite weighed just under 185 pounds and orbited the Earth in 98 minutes, according to NASA, which came into existence because of Sputnik. The launch, on Oct. 4, 1957, marked the dawn of the Space Age.

Five years earlier, the International Council of Scientific Unions declared July 1, 1957, through Dec. 31, 1958, the International Geophysical Year, which would coincide with the peak of the 11-year cycle of sunspot activity. The United States created a committee to plan satellite launches and research programs to study cosmic rays, gravity, solar activity, and other phenomenon during that "year." By 1954, the United States planned to launch satellites to map the Earth's services. The White House announced those plans in 1955.

Then, the Soviets beat U.S. scientists and policy-makers to the punch.

Sputnik came as a surprise to Americans, although President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew of its launch ahead of time, according to NASA documents. The public was so taken aback by word that their Cold War rivals had sent a satellite into space, the White House tried to reassure the public by downplaying its significance. While Americans feared the development could foreshadow the launch of ballistic missiles and nuclear , the Soviets launched Sputnik II with a dog named Laika less than one month later, on Nov. 3.

The United States suffered another embarrassment and setback Dec. 6, when televising the attempted launch of its Vanguard satellite. The satellite, rushed to launch, burst into flames just a few feet off the ground.

The U.S. Defense Department later approved more funding for U.S. satellite projects and finally successfully launched Explorer I on Jan. 31, 1958. That satellite discovered magnetic radiation belts around the Earth.

In July of that year, Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act to create the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in large part as a reaction to Sputnik and fears that the Soviets would defeat the United States in the race to conquer space.

Fifty years later, Russian and U.S. scientists are working together to study the physiological effects of space.