Astronomy Picture of the Day · February 11, 1996

Sputnik: The Traveling Companion

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 11, 1996 is “Sputnik: The Traveling Companion,” an image. It is credited to Credit: MSFC Historical Archives. The original explanation runs about 107 words.

From the explanation

“Sputnik means “traveling companion”. In stark contrast to this innocent sounding name, the launch of the Earth’s first “artificial moon”, Sputnik 1 , by the Soviets on October 4, 1957 shocked the free world, setting in motion events which resulted in the creation of NASA and the race to the Moon .”

— APOD editors, February 11, 1996

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: February 11, 1996
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: MSFC Historical Archives
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 107 words

All of February 1996 → · 1996 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Moon

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 11 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, February 11, 1996 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1996-february-11-sputnik-the-traveling-companion

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.