Comments on: Sputnik, panic, and sciencenik http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/ ? / ! / . . . Sat, 17 May 2008 01:16:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 By: Jackie Pike http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-115 Jackie Pike Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:39:41 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-115 My father was a mathematician and amateur astronomer. I was born in the 1960s and have very fond memories of my fathe showing me the stars in his magnificent telescope (which we still have). He told me that for his generation, (born in the 1930s), Sputnik was the biggest achievement of Mankind, one of the few Americans who worshipped the Russians. He really believed they were very courageous to launch Sputnik at a time when technology was so green. My father was a mathematician and amateur astronomer. I was born in the 1960s and have very fond memories of my fathe showing me the stars in his magnificent telescope (which we still have). He told me that for his generation, (born in the 1930s), Sputnik was the biggest achievement of Mankind, one of the few Americans who worshipped the Russians. He really believed they were very courageous to launch Sputnik at a time when technology was so green.

]]> By: Clare Major http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-89 Clare Major Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:30:20 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-89 Thanks for sharing your recollections of that time. I think it's interesting when science becomes a political weapon and exploration is less about discovery than about laying claim to what has been discovered. I suppose you could trace that trend through history from the very first explorers (claiming 'new' territories for their countries) all the way to today's <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/08/02/arctic.sub.reut/index.html" rel="nofollow">"arctic land-grabs"</a>. Thanks for sharing your recollections of that time. I think it’s interesting when science becomes a political weapon and exploration is less about discovery than about laying claim to what has been discovered. I suppose you could trace that trend through history from the very first explorers (claiming ‘new’ territories for their countries) all the way to today’s “arctic land-grabs”.

]]> By: Ephraim http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-69 Ephraim Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:46:25 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-69 I'm lucky enough to be of the generation that grew up with U.S. and the Commies cooperating in space. It's too bad we're using space as a military installment now in exactly the way people were afraid of in the film... I’m lucky enough to be of the generation that grew up with U.S. and the Commies cooperating in space. It’s too bad we’re using space as a military installment now in exactly the way people were afraid of in the film…

]]> By: Gretchie http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-68 Gretchie Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:57:57 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-68 I am from Deborah's generation and remember all too well the sirens and drills at school where we ducked beneath our desks with our arms over our heads or lined up in the hallways leaning against the walls with our heads covered. Looking back on it now it was such an absurd precaution. What good would our little arms and desks do to protect us from the "atom bomb" that terrified my generation? It was exciting to me to go in the yard with my father to look for Sputnik or hear that beeping on the TV unaware of the hysteria it was creating. I did not connect Sputnik with the threat being felt by others. But I was very aware of the fear placed on us in the schoolroom. I am from Deborah’s generation and remember all too well the sirens and drills at school where we ducked beneath our desks with our arms over our heads or lined up in the hallways leaning against the walls with our heads covered. Looking back on it now it was such an absurd precaution. What good would our little arms and desks do to protect us from the “atom bomb” that terrified my generation?

It was exciting to me to go in the yard with my father to look for Sputnik or hear that beeping on the TV unaware of the hysteria it was creating. I did not connect Sputnik with the threat being felt by others. But I was very aware of the fear placed on us in the schoolroom.

]]> By: deborahbyrd http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-63 deborahbyrd Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:55:09 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-63 Clare, I was only 6 when Sputnik was launched in 1957, and while I don't exactly remember the launch of Sputnik, I can imagine the sense of unease that must have followed the launch. I can imagine it ... because I do remember the sense we all had that "the Russians" would attack us at some point ... the air raid drills in school, the city-wide sirens installed and tested periodically, the "this is only a test" announcements on TV and radio. It was disconcerting! I can imagine the reaction of the grownups at that time to this solid evidence that "the Russians" were ahead of us technologically - this "beep beep beeping" of a radio signal over all our heads - as Sputnik orbited Earth. Clare, I was only 6 when Sputnik was launched in 1957, and while I don’t exactly remember the launch of Sputnik, I can imagine the sense of unease that must have followed the launch. I can imagine it … because I do remember the sense we all had that “the Russians” would attack us at some point … the air raid drills in school, the city-wide sirens installed and tested periodically, the “this is only a test” announcements on TV and radio. It was disconcerting! I can imagine the reaction of the grownups at that time to this solid evidence that “the Russians” were ahead of us technologically - this “beep beep beeping” of a radio signal over all our heads - as Sputnik orbited Earth.

]]> By: sglasson http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-62 sglasson Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:42:16 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-62 <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25' rel="nofollow">MiGs</a> MiGs

]]> By: sglasson http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-61 sglasson Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:41:14 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/claremajor/2007/08/20/sputnik-and-the-us/#comment-61 Even though there were no weapons, the Cold War really was a war in that the people of the U.S. and Russia lived in constant fear of attack. It is a very good thing for both sides as well as the rest of the world that the Cold War never sparked a real war. As a kid, I loved the movie Top Gun. I never realized it was indirectly referencing the Cold War against Russia. They never really say the "enemy" is Russian, but they call the enemy aircrafts "Migs":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 which are Russian. Even though there were no weapons, the Cold War really was a war in that the people of the U.S. and Russia lived in constant fear of attack. It is a very good thing for both sides as well as the rest of the world that the Cold War never sparked a real war.

As a kid, I loved the movie Top Gun. I never realized it was indirectly referencing the Cold War against Russia. They never really say the “enemy” is Russian, but they call the enemy aircrafts “Migs”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 which are Russian.

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