The Soviet Union launched Sputnik-1 on October the 5th, 1957 and in so doing kicked the Space Race into high gear – where it would remain for over a decade until the Americans landed Buzz and Neil on the Moon in 1969 and took the crown.
This Sputnik-1 model was built in 1957 as a prototype test model for ground Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Electromagnetic Interference (AMI) testing. It’s the exact size, weight, and specification as the Sputnik-1 that was launched into space – but of course the original was burnt up in the atmosphere on re-entry in 1958.
Just 4 official prototypes of the Sputnik-1 were built, and this is thought to be the only one with a working transmitter. It’s due to be offered for sale by Bonhams at the upcoming Space History Sale on the 20th of July. The estimated value is between $10,000 USD and $15,000 USD – which seems like a bargain for such a significant piece of world history.
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
The Plymouth Asimmetrica Roadster was designed as a production car, despite its concept car looks – it was initially planned that 25 would be made, however just two were completed by the time production ceased. The Plymouth XNR The Asimmetrica was based on the futuristic Plymouth XNR that had been penned by one of the…
The Vincent Black Lightning was the fastest and most desirable motorcycle in the world when it was released in 1948. A factory-delivered Black Lightning was capable of 150 mph if you were brave enough, and no small amount of bravery was required as braking technology hadn’t yet caught up with rapidly increasing horsepower levels. The…
The Airfix Combustion Engine Kit is a model engine powered by batteries that has red lights in the spark plugs to show firing order. It works mechanically just like a real engine, with a crankshaft and cam, conrods and pistons, rocker arms and valves. It’s driven by a small electric motor that requires 3 x…
Editor’s Note: We’re now in touch with Stephen’s family and they have the negatives safely in storage. At the moment it’s just a matter of them finding time to have a look through the boxes. We also picked up two more leads on some other historically important Britten images. If you have any Britten-related images…
The AJS V4 was an advanced engineering effort undertaken by the British motorcycle company in the mid-1930s, the first prototype was intended as a road-going motorcycle and it was shown at the Olympia Show in 1935. Building The AJS V4 Racer The road-going version of the V4 didn’t get a green light for production, it’s…
We still frequently use the term horsepower as the primary indicator of how much power an engine produces, but very few can explain what it actually means and how it was originally calculated. This concise 9 minute short film explains the origins of the term, how it was calculated by James Watt, and why it…
