Nature 6월 10일자

인류 역사상 최초로 발사되었던 인공위성인 스푸트니크 1호가 경매에 올라 화제가 되고 있다. 자신이 스푸트니크 1호 진품을 가지고 있다고 주장하는 미국의 한 고급차 중계상(staufferclassics.com)은 이 경매품에 39,000달러를 요구하고 있다.
1957년 10월 구소련에서 발사된 스푸트니크 1호는 괘도에 오른지 92일만에 수명을 다하였지만 구 소련에서는 실험 및 테스트의 목적으로 같은 모델을 수십개 만들었던 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 러시아에서 이에 대한 정보를 공개하지는 않은 상태이다. 현재 경매에 오른 스푸트니크 1호는 경매자의 주장에 따르면 모스코바 우주 박물관에 전시되었던 것으로, 러시아 기술사 박물관(Russia's Museum of Technical Achievements)의 인증도 받았다고 하였다.
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For sale: Sputnik 1, original condition
Car dealer offers Soviet satellite with no miles on the clock.
10 June 2003

MICHAEL HOPKIN

Fancy owning a piece of space history? A US classic-car dealer is selling what he claims is an original version of the Soviet Sputnik 1 satellite.

It's a souvenir from the dawn of the space age, says George Stauffer, who is asking US$39,000 for the item on his website, staufferclassics.com. Sputnik 1 was the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth.

Sputnik 1 is an icon of the cold war space race. Launched in October 1957, the 60-centimetre orb caused widespread gnashing of teeth among US politicians, who feared that they were falling behind their Soviet rivals.

The satellite itself burned up on re-entry after 92 days in orbit. But historians say that Soviet scientists built anywhere between four and twenty more models, for use in testing, demonstrations and as diplomatic gifts. Nobody can say for sure how many authentic Sputniks exist, although many museums claim to own one.

"The problem is a lack of documentation," says Cathleen Lewis, curator of the Russian and Soviet space collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. "The Soviets were incredibly proprietary about this kind of information."

Stauffer, who is widely reputed to own two Sputnik 1 models, claims that the item for sale is genuine. He says he has a certificate of authentication from Russia's Museum of Technical Achievements.

Interest in Sputnik has surged since the online auction company Ebay advertised a similar sale last week. Sovietski Collection, a San Diego-based company that sells Soviet memorabilia, claimed to have a genuine Sputnik 1 up for grabs to the highest bidder.

Ebay aborted the sale on Thursday, however, amid a flurry of fraudulent bids. One japester posted an offer of $99,999,999. "We hope to try again in the next few days, but that's [Ebay's] call," says a spokesperson for Sovietski.

Stauffer, meanwhile, is watching developments with interest. "If people are bidding sums like this, I might want to ask a bit more," he says.

© Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003


Sputnik's beepings had the US worried.