Episode
NOVA: Sputnik Declassified
Overview
On October 4, 1957, the Space Age dawned with the red hue of the Communist flag when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite. Sputnik I stunned the world and spurred a surge in science education and innovation that changed our world forever. But was Sputnik I really a shock to America's leaders, and how close was the U.S. to getting into space first? NOVA draws on previously classified documents to tell the real story behind the opening chapter in the space race.
Details
- Series
- NOVA
- Season
- Season 35
- Episode
- Episode 4
- Air date
- 2007-11-07
- Runtime
- 55 min
Episode context
Sputnik Declassified is Episode 4 in Season 35 of NOVA. It aired on 2007-11-07. The runtime is 55 min.
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Episode 1: Secrets of the Samurai Sword
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Episode 7: Missing in MiG Alley
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Episode 8: Absolute Zero: The Conquest of Cold
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Episode 9: Absolute Zero: The Race for Absolute Zero
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Episode 10: Secrets of the Parthenon
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Episode 11: Astrospies
Millions remember the countdowns, launchings, splashdowns, and parades as the U.S. raced the USSR to the moon in the 1960s. But few know that both countries also ran parallel space programs, whose covert goal was to launch military astronauts on spying missions. With investigative journalist James Bamford, NOVA delves into the untold story of this top-secret space race, which might easily have turned into a shooting war in orbit.
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Episode 13: The Four Winged Dinosaur
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