Sputnik: Dawn of the Space Age

The launch of Sputnik led directly to the establishment of NASA and started the space race 

History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched the Sputnik 1 spacecraft, the first artificial satellite that was barely the size of a basketball and weighed only 83 kilograms. It took him about 98 minutes to circle the Earth in his elliptical orbit. The launch opened a new era in politics, the military, technology and scientific development. While the launch of Sputnik was an isolated event, it marked the beginning of the space age and the space race between the USA and the USSR.
The story begins in 1952 when the International Council of Scientific Unions decides to establish from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958 the International Geophysical Year because scientists knew that the cycle of solar activity would be at its peak. In October 1954, the Council adopted a resolution calling for the construction of artificial satellites during the geophysical year for mapping the Earth's surface.
In July 1955, the White House planned to launch satellites in the International Geophysical Year and began collecting proposals from various government research agencies to select who would carry out the program. In September 1955, the Vanguard Naval Research Laboratory's proposal was chosen to represent the US in the International Geophysical Year.
The launch of Sputnik changed everything. As a technological achievement, Sputnik caught the attention of the world and the American public unprepared. Its size was more impressive than the one and a half kilo satellite that was supposed to go up inside Hungard. In addition, the public feared that the Soviets' ability to launch satellites would translate into the ability to launch ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons from Europe to the US. Then the Soviets struck again. On November 3, Sputnik 2 was launched carrying a heavier payload and inside it also a dog named Laika.
Immediately after the October 1 Sputnik launch, the Department of Defense responded to the political enthusiasm and approved funding for another American satellite project. As Longard's replacement, Werner von Braun and his staff began working on the Explorer project.
On October 31, 1958, the tide changed, when the US successfully launched the Excapsorer 1 satellite. The satellite carried a small scientific payload and with it made an important discovery - the radiation belt surrounding the Earth named after the chief researcher - James Van Allen. The Explorer program continued as a successful series of lightweight scientific satellites.
The launch of Sputnik led directly to the establishment of NASA. In July 1958, Congress passed the creation of NASA, which was formed on October 1, 1958 from the merger of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NACA) and other government agencies.