Abstract
The launch of the first satellite sparked rejoicing worldwide but frayed some nerves in the West. As well as the News Features '50 years after Sputnik' package (see cover caption), other Nature sections mark the anniversary. In a Commentary, economist and former Russian science minister Boris Saltykov charts the rise and fall of Soviet science, but sees opportunities for innovation in today's Russia. Alexei Kojevnikov's Essay argues that the West's response to the Sputnik launch paved the way for the international science community as we know it today. Sputnik had cultural echoes too, covered in the Arts & Books pages. William Burrows reviews Matthew Brzezinski's Red Moon Rising, an account of the how the space race grew out of Cold War tensions. Giovanni Bignami reflects on 'space race' movies and Martin Kemp analyses the bizarre immortality achieved by spacedog Laika.
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