Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
The DU Lounge
In reply to the discussion: What is first major news event you recall as child? [View all]csziggy
(34,136 posts)97. Sputnik! We were living in a rental house near where my Dad was working
Out in the middle of no where so there wasn't much to do. My older sisters got into astronomy since there weren't any outside lights. Dad bought us a transistor radio so we could listen to Sputnik beep.
Orbit height: 577 km
Dimensions: 58 cm (23 in) diameter
Orbits completed: 1440
Orbits per day: 14.96
Time per orbit: 96.2 minutes
The audiovisual consists of one original "audio" file from NASA. It is about 4 seconds long. During the recording of the audiovisual, the audio file loops exactly 15 times, equally to the number of orbits Sputnik-1 made within 24 hours.
Visible frequency range: 1500Hz
Audio length: 70 seconds
Resolution: 24 steps per second
Speed: 0.25 degree per step / 6 degree per second
Audio source:
Sputnik: Beep
https://www.nasa.gov/mp3/578626main_s...
Image of the exact Sputnik replica:
http://www.maxuta.com/maxuta/collecti...
Tools: Algorithm made with Processing (https://processing.org/)
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
131 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Me too. I was too little to really understand but my Mom was glued to tv and crying.
hlthe2b
May 2021
#22
this, for me too. they immediately sent us home from school. I understood that it was big news.
IcyPeas
May 2021
#80
It left an impression on my too. A few years later I told my mom I would have a little boy
Dream Girl
May 2021
#64
Nixon's resignation. I remember my parents and their friends talking about it.
East-A-Squared
May 2021
#9
I was in high school, & it was terrifying. O'ahu has many military bases, & my friends' dads...
Hekate
May 2021
#71
I had a bad experience with that. Didn't get the full story until around 6 pm the next day.
LeftInTX
May 2021
#110
I was worried about Caroline and John too..(Mostly Caroline cuz John was my brother's age)
LeftInTX
May 2021
#124
Not necessairliy "Major", but my first awareness of Eisenhower was when he gave a press
Fla Dem
May 2021
#66
WWII. Before I was born, but it shaped my family and affected me for decades.
Midnight Writer
May 2021
#69
big one!! it's interesting that the next Nasa disaster was big, but was't as big as challenger
Demovictory9
May 2021
#83
Looking back at other posts, I realized I should have said Polio Vaccine
yellowdogintexas
May 2021
#120