Dwight D. Eisenhower announced that the United States would launch several small satellites, which was to begin July 1, 1957. Within a couple days, the Russians announced similar intentions, but the Soviet satellite would be larger than the American one. By mid-1957, the official Soviet press suggested the first launch was months away. Few people in the United States paid much attention to the prediction though. On October 4, 1957, Sputnik lifted off. Sputnik was only in orbit for three weeks, but those who tracked it gained valuable information about the destiny of the upper atmosphere and the manner in which it altered the satellite's orbit. On January 4, 1958, after ninety-two days in orbit, Sputnik I re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up. On November 3, 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik II. It was a much heavier satellite, which carried the first living mammal into space. It was a dog named Laika. Laika died after ten days in space. Some of the information sent from the satellite showed that Laika was alive until there was no more oxygen left on board. Sputnik II re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up on April 14, 1958, after 162 days in space.President Eisenhower announced on November 7, 1957 that James R. Killian would be the first White House science advisor and soon approved one billion dollars for the first direct federal aid to education--The National Defense Act. Plans for the establishment of a civilian space agency got underway. On July 29, Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, authorizing NASA. The administration was formally founded on October 1, 1958. Until NASA was up and running, the military was in charge. The US Army and Navy had ballistic-missile projects in process, and each wanted to be the first to orbit an American satellite. The Navy got first shot on December 6, 1957. The result was a spectacular failure. The Vanguard rocket rose a few feet above...
