OSGC Educational Resources Blog

On The Next NOVA (from the latest NOVA newsletter)
SPUTNIK DECLASSIFIED
Tuesday, November 6 at 8 p.m.
Check your local listings as dates and times may vary.

On October 4, 1957, the Space Age dawned with the red hue of the Communist flag when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite. Sputnik I stunned the world and spurred a surge in science education and innovation that changed our world forever. But was Sputnik I really a shock to America’s leaders, and how close was the U.S. to getting into space first?

In “Sputnik Declassified,” NOVA probes the prehistory of the Space Age, examining what makes Earth orbit so difficult to achieve; why the superpower rivalry in the wake of World War II made spaceflight attainable for the first time in history; and counters the popular view that President Dwight Eisenhower and the American science and defense establishments were caught completely off guard.

“Sputnik Declassified” draws on previously classified documents to tell the real story behind the opening chapter in the space race.

Here’s what you’ll find on the companion Web site:

Space Race Time Line
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/timeline.html
  Examine turning points in the Cold War competition to dominate space.

A Tainted Legacy
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/vonbraun.html
  How should Wernher von Braun be remembered — as a Nazi engineer or a space visionary?

A Blow to the Nation
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/nation.html
  The launch of Sputnik came as a shock to Americans long accustomed to being number one.

Build a Rocket
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/v2.html
  Learn more about how the innovative German V-2 rocket worked by assembling it yourself.

What Satellites See
  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sputnik/satellite.html
  Images from near-Earth orbit can tell us a lot about our world.

Also, Links and books, a Teacher’s Guide, the program transcript, and more:
http://www.pbs.org/nova/sputnik