Today marks the 50th anniversary of Sputnik 1, the very first man-made satellite placed in geocentric orbit around the earth, and probably the first significant encroachment of man into space - testing the waters of the final frontier.

With no prior announcement, and coming literally out of the blue, the launch of Sputnik by the USSR took everyone by surprise - particularly the terrified American public, who panicked at the idea that their communist foe's technology could be more advanced than their own.