The Red Moon: Public and Political Response to Sputnik

On the evening of October 4, 1957, American scientists gathered at a reception at the Soviet embassy in Washington with Russian counterparts to celebrate the International Geophysical Year (IGY), a year-long international effort to learn more about earth science, with one of the goals being satellite launches by both the United States and the Soviet Union. Around 7pm they were shocked to learn of a Moscow radio station broadcasting news of the world's first successful launch of an artificial satellite. The Sputnik crisis was begun, and it would have profound impact on American policy and opinion. The immediate impact of Sputnik was threefold. First, public fears were immediately raised about the possibility of a large Soviet lead in intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development, and in technology in general. The fear of Soviet technical superiority created “hys...