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‘World Space Week’ Launches Today on Sputnik Anniversary

A weeklong international celebration of spaceflight and exploration kicks off today (Oct. 4), with hundreds of events planned in dozens of countries around the world.

Image: A Soviet technician works on Sputnik 1 before the satellite’s Oct. 4, 1957 launch. Credit: NASA

The 13th annual World Space Week runs from Oct. 4 through Oct. 10 — both key dates in the history of space exploration. On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union lofted Sputnik 1, humanity’s first-ever artificial satellite. And the Outer Space Treaty, which forms the basis for international space law, came into effect on Oct. 10, 1967.

World Space Week always has a theme, and this year it’s “Space for Human Safety and Security.” More than 350 events spread across nearly 50 countries will highlight the ways in which humanity’s space activities make daily life better for us here on Earth, organizers said.

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See also “October Sky” to relive what it was like in 1957 from the perspective of a kid growing up in West Virginia.

(via warpedpassage)