The Last Beep

Sputnik last week beeped its last. The voice from space had been weakening for several days, and was sometimes interrupted. Finally it stopped altogether, and Russian, British and U.S. radio listeners reported that the satellite was circling silently around the earth. Its batteries lasted three weeks, just as the Russians predicted soon after Sputnik first took to space.

The orbit is now fairly well known, both to Russian and non-Russian scientists. According to the Smithsonian's Astrophysical Observatory at Cambridge, Mass., the satellite follows a slightly elliptical track that carries it up 480 miles above the earth. Then it swoops down to about 140 miles, a decline of three miles since launching. Air resistance is slowly reducing Sputnik's energy and making it follow a lower and therefore faster orbit. When it was first tracked, it completed its circuit of the earth in 96.20 minutes. After 326 trips (nearly 9,000,000 miles), it now does it in 95.31 minutes.

The conspicuous rocket carrier, now seen by millions, started behind Sputnik. Having more air resistance and therefore dropping sooner to a lower, faster orbit, it quickly passed the satellite. Now it is leading by 63 minutes and is revolving around the earth in 94.68 minutes. Dr. Fred Whipple of the Smithsonian Observatory expects the rocket to have a good many more days in space, perhaps 30 or 40. Then it will make its fiery death-plunge into denser air.

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