With Fear and Wonder in Its Wake, Sputnik Lifted Us Into the Future
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
Sputnik changed everything - history, geopolitics, the scientific world. A reflection on the triumphs and disappointments of the space age.

New Horizons Beckon, Inspiring Vision if Not Certainty
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Moon or Mars, or both? Economic incentives or political? And who will lead the way?

When the Space Age Blasted Off, Pop Culture Followed
By RANDY KENNEDY
The space age launched more than satellites and spaceships, it launched a trend that changed pop culture forever.
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New Challengers Emerge, Threatening to Take the Lead
By GUY GUGLIOTTA
Americans fear that the United States has frittered away 35 years of space superiority, and a new generation of rivals is about to shove it into second place.

From the Start, the Space Race Was an Arms Race
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Sputnik forced America to consider space as the new frontier for the arms race. How has that legacy persisted?

When Science Suddenly Mattered, in Space and in Class
By CORNELIA DEAN
For many, Sputnik was proof that America’s science education had fallen behind. But since then, how far have we come?

Two Early Pioneers Continue Their Work at the Frontier
By KENNETH CHANG
Thirty years after their initial launch, the two Voyager spacecrafts continue their journey to the far reaches of the solar system.

Present for the Beginning: A Khrushchev Remembers
By WARREN E. LEARY
Sergei N. Khrushchev, son of the Soviet premier Nikita S. Khrushchev, recalls how the Soviet Union reacted to the success of Sputnik

Space Age Artifacts? The Smithsonian Is Just the Beginning
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
Sometimes the most interesting artifacts from the space age may be found in a museum near you.

Voices: 10/4/57
By CLAUDIA DREIFUS
The New York Times asked scientists and others who lived through it (and a few who were yet to be born) to reflect on what Sputnik meant to them.