Bubba Sputnik

The meaning of Sputnik has changed in the half-century since the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite. Most people probably don't know that 'sputnik' literally means 'traveling companion' in Russian. What a nice way to think of a satellite!

To cold-war Americans, Sputnik meant that the commies suddenly held the “high ground” from which to observe and launch attacks. Before, few people had cared much about a space program. Suddenly, politics ensured that Americans responded with a militarized and nationalistic program to beat the Russians, fueling an explosive growth in the Military-Industrial complex.

Befitting a nationalistic and militarized effort, we Americans gave ours bold names like 'Vanguard', 'Atlas', and, curiously, Greek gods (Atlas, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Saturn). The commercial ventures backed by public resources chose high tech names 'Telstar' (distant star), though a more appropriate named would be 'proxistar' (close star). Unmanned missions escaped the pattern to give names 'Pioneer' and 'Voyager' to brilliantly successful programs. The Russians continued with human-scale names: 'Soyuz' (union), 'Salyut' (salute), 'Mir' (moon)...

Imagine how names like 'little buddy' or 'bubba' or 'partner' might have changed our feeling toward the space race.