Son of Nikita Khrushchev will discuss 50th anniversary of Sputnik launch

by PegNews wire

ARLINGTON—On Oct. 4, 1957, the world changed forever when the Soviet Union successfully launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, into outer space. About the size of a basketball and weighing 183 pounds, the launch ushered in the space age.

Sputnik captured world attention and caught the American public off-guard. There was widespread fear that the Soviets' ability to launch satellites meant they could also launch ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear weapons from Europe to the United States.

The son of the late Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev will discuss the 50th anniversary of the space program at The University of Texas at Arlington at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, in room 100, Nedderman Hall, 416 Yates St. Sergei Khrushchev, senior fellow in international studies at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, edited his father's memoirs and lectures frequently on Soviet and Russian economic and political reforms. An engineer, he was decorated by the U.S.S.R. for his contributions to rocketry and computing.

After the lecture, he will be available in the Nedderman Hall Atrium to sign books. Books available for purchase include “Nikita Khrushchev and the Creation of a Superpower” and “The Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev” series, including the third book “Statesman,” which was just released in May.

The event, which is sponsored by the College of Science, the Office of the President and American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum, is free and open to the public on a space available basis. Call (817) 272-3491 for parking information.

Source: UTA