Sputnik Test Article

Made by OKB-1 (Soviet space program)1957Ridgefield, Connecticut

A Sputnik-era test sphere — a backup or ground-test article of the polished 58 cm ball whose beeping opened the Space Age — documented among the artifacts in the Library of the History of Human Imagination (WIRED profile).

Provenance

1957

Produced in the Sputnik program

attributed

2008

Documented in WIRED's profile of the Library of the History of Human Imagination

documented

2026

Digitally preserved in Relic

confirmed

Current Custodian

Jay Walker

Ridgefield, Connecticut

Request Research Access

Access Matrix

Digital viewingpublic
Additional photographsby request
Remote video inspectionavailable
Research visitowner approval
Temporary research loancase by_case
Museum exhibition loanavailable
Scientific samplingnot permitted
Commercial licensingcontact owner

Record Metadata

CategorySpaceflight

MaterialsPolished aluminum alloy sphere, antenna rods

Dimensions58 cm diameter

ConditionVery good

Digital Record

24 high-res images (8,192 × 6,144)

3D Mesh / Photogrammetry

Precise digital measurements

Doc. Score: 88/100Scanned 8/30/2026

Cite this object

Relic Archive. (1957). Sputnik Test Article [Object record]. Relic Object RL-1957-007086.