Astronomy Picture of the Day offers a photograph of Sputnik, the Earth's first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957.
Essay describes the historic impact of the Soviets' first satellite launch on the beginning of the Space race between the US and the former USSR.
Excerpt from a history of the Russian space race with the United States chronicles the development of Soviet technology in the late 50s.
Read a short article describing the historic significance of this Russian dog from the Soviet space program in the 1950s.
Russia's Space Research Institute provides details about the launching history, objectives and instruments of this mission to Mars.
Peruse news reports and features on the Space Station Mir and the Russian space program. Includes a chronological story archive.
Browse photos and read technological specifics for a series of spacecraft employed by the Russians from 1959 onward.
Read a transcript of a special report from NewsHour describing the Soviet's surprise advancement in the 50s and read commentary from historians.
Provides a student handout for a special on the Soviet's launching of the first satellite in 1957 and a scorecard for the Space race.
Find a chronicle of the early days of the Russian Soviet Space program and the historic first launch in 1957 with bios, reports and a ref. list.
Probes into the early history of the Soviet Space program in the 60s for evidence of historical tragedies that were later covered up by the govt.
Features chronicles and time-lines for each of the Soviet launch programs beginning with Sputnik in 1957.