Today marks the 50th anniversary of when the Soviet Union successfully launched the first satellite, Sputnik I, into space.  NASA has written a restrospective story of Sputnik, including photos and references, on how the satellite gave rise to the space age and the U.S. - U.S.S.R. space race.

Related:
Sputnik program [Wikipedia]
Sputnik 1 [Wikipedia]
Arthur C. Clarke on Sputnik [BoingBoing]
Richard "Ultima" Garriott owns a Sputnik [BoingBoing]
I-Reporters' dreams launched along with Sputnik 50 years ago [CNN]