Why Most People Don't Understand What A "Sputnik Moment" Actually Means

Saturday, December 18, 2021

SWF Director of Program Planning Dr. Brian Weeden published a new article on the history of the "Sputnik Moment" as part of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) annual "Bad Ideas in National Security" series. Dr. Weeden discusses often what people declare to be a “Sputnik Moment" is done with an incorrect understanding of what the original “Sputnik Moment” actually was. He shows how the launch of Sputnik was not a surprise to the Eisenhower Administration nor was the United States actually behind the Soviet Union in satellite technology. However, because of the classification surrounding that information, the launch was a surprise to the media and the public, which led to a hysteria that was fueled by Soviet propaganda.