Sputniks

1. A series of Soviet satellites launched in 1957 and in following years. These were the first artificial satellites.

Notes

The appearance of Sputnik stimulated a great deal of effort in the education of scientists and engineers in the United States. This period is now referred to as the post-Sputnik boom.

Example Sentences

The Met’s crystal chandeliers, which have come to be called “sputniks” for their space-age starburst design, are among the most popular features of the theater.

From New York Times

The sputniks, as the Metropolitan Opera’s starburst-shaped crystal chandeliers are known, were stuck in orbit for more than a year.

From New York Times

Reuther, he said, was “a more dangerous menace than the sputniks or anything that the Russians might do.”

From Salon

The tracking of the sputniks and moon-probes was only a part - and from a scientific point of view, not the most important part - of the telescope's work.

From BBC

And running through all this was a thrilling element of Soviet over-reaching, a hint of sputniks, space rockets and flying saucers.

From The Guardian