Friday, June 21, 2019
The Empty Boast
Another ad from the same 1956 magazine as previous item about analog spreadsheets.
Most citizens had the idea that satellite development was top secret classified hush-hush. It wasn't. Companies were openly boasting about their contributions to the project, well before the actual launch.
The boasting turned out to be a bad bet when the Soviet system of state-controlled capital got there first. The Sputnik brand became the Kleenex of satellites.
We did achieve a victory in the image of The Earth Satellite. This picture remains the basic public icon for satellites. The real Sputnik, which looked more like a folded umbrella, never grabbed our imagination.
Most citizens had the idea that satellite development was top secret classified hush-hush. It wasn't. Companies were openly boasting about their contributions to the project, well before the actual launch.
The boasting turned out to be a bad bet when the Soviet system of state-controlled capital got there first. The Sputnik brand became the Kleenex of satellites.
We did achieve a victory in the image of The Earth Satellite. This picture remains the basic public icon for satellites. The real Sputnik, which looked more like a folded umbrella, never grabbed our imagination.Labels: Natural law = Soviet law, Гром победы
¶ 3:03 PM
