346. Editorial Note
On October 4, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first orbiting earth satellite, designated “Sputnik I.” The satellite weighed 184 pounds, or eight times as much as the proposed United States satellite, and orbited the earth once every 88 minutes. Radio signals from the Soviet satellite were picked up by United States Navy tracking stations within moments after Sputnik reached orbit. The Soviet Government announced the achievement the same day.