L
leaapm
Guest
50 years ago October 4th, the Soviet Union launched a 183-pound, basketball-sized, polished aluminum ball into an orbit around Earth.<br /><br />Sputnik not only ushered in the Space Age, it spurred a massive investment of intellectual and physical capital in science and engineering. In the US, President Eisenhower created the post of National Science Advisor. Congress created NASA and tripled funding to the National Science Foundation. Many youngsters were inspired and enabled to pursue a career in science and technology.<br /><br />How is Sputnik relevant today? How did Sputnik and America’s vault into the Space Age that followed affect the course of your life? <br /><br />In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of Sputnik’s launch, Weekend America, a weekly two-hour public radio program, is focusing on the technological and cultural impact of the event that propelled the Cold War into the Space Age. To help us tell the story, we’re looking for people who want to share their memories of Sputnik’s launch or describe the significance the race for space had in American life.<br /><br />To help us with the story, respond here: http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/pin/sputnik<br /><br />Share your personal stories about the impact Sputnik had on careers, memories, science, or ways of thinking about the world and its future.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />Lea ****<br />American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio<br />http://minnesota.publicradio.org/publicinsightjournalism/<br />(651)290-1442<br />lcoon@americanpublicmedia.org<br />