( astronauts ) alan shepard and deke slayton

"News of Sputnik swept like breaking surf across the world. Five bells clanged from Associated Press printers in newsrooms across the country, signaling a major story. Editors and reporters, jolted to attention, moved quickly to the keys pounding paper. They could hardly believe what they were reading. It was no exception in the NBC newsroom in the city of New York."

"Editor Bill Fitzgerald had just put the wrap on his next scheduled newscast. He froze at his desk when the wire service machines began to clang. The bells echoed in the large newsroom as he dashed from his desk into the wire room and stood before the main AP machine. He stared with eyes wide at the incoming copy."

LONDON, OCT. 4 (AP) MOSCOW RADIO SAID TONIGHT THAT THE SOVIET UNION HAS LAUNCHED AN EARTH SATELLITE.

THE SATELLITE, SILVER IN COLOR, WEIGHS 184 POUNDS AND IS REPORTED TO BE THE SIZE OF A BASKETBALL. MOSCOW RADIO SAID IT IS CIRCLING THE GLOBE EVERY 96 MINUTES, REACHING AS FAR OUT AS 569 MILES AS IT ZIPS ALONG AT MORE THAN 17,000 MILES PER HOUR.

"Damn!" Fitzgerald spat in disgust. Not at the news but with the real- ization that his fully written newscast had just gone down the toilet. He hurried from the wire room across the wide news center and burst into Morgan Beatty's office. "Mo, we've gotta update," he yelled. "One of the damn Russian missiles got away from them, and they lost a basketball or something in space."

The veteran newscaster stared in disbelief at the agitated editor. "Give me that," he demanded, snatching the wire copy from Fitzgerald's hand. His eyes widened as he read. "Jesus Christ, Bill, you know what this is?

The Russians have just put a satellite in orbit around the earth! They've been talking about it and, dammit, they've really done it!" Realization was sinking into Fitzgerald. He took a deep breath. "Okay, what do we do, Mo?" "We'd better put out a hotline," Beatty said quickly. "We've got to get.

note:

17,000 mph is almost 5 miles / sec --- so Chicago is 40 seconds away.

remember:

1) most satellites / Space Shuttle orbit earth in about 90 minutes

2) geo-synchronous or geo-stationary satellites orbit every 24 hours -- but are about 23,000 miles high

3) the moon orbits once a 'moonth' -- and is 240,000 miles away

i remember the day of the Sputnik launch very well.

I was a college freshman --- and the result of this event was my getting a doctorate 13 years later because all kinds of $$$$ became available in the 60's to send retarded science teachers back to skool to learn stuff. I qualified for a grant.

The National Science Foundation ( NSF ) funded grants for teachers to attend summer sessions; academic year institutes; nite classes. I went to the U. of Florida for three semesters and earned my Masters. All books, fees, tuition and $90 a week tax-free were paid for by the grant.

P.S. i gave up a teaching salary of $85 a week in the snowfields of WNY ( western new york ) for the sun and surf of Florida. Some decisions in life are hard, and some are easy.