On Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:47:35 +0000, rabid_fan wrote:


The story is complex and perhaps best discussed in alt.history or
something.


Fortunately, I was able to locate an article on the web
that provides an excellent summary:

http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/01/t...nik-story.html

Internet sources cannot (yet) compete with printed publications
for depth and comprehensiveness. But be assured that scholarly
works do exist that completely dispel the ridiculous notion
that the Sputnik launch was a "proof" of Soviet technical
superiority. Sputnik was a cheap sideshow, and nothing more.