What was Sputnik?

A. the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth

B. the first nuclear submarine

C. the first GPS system

D. the first manned space shuttle

Answer: Sputnik was the first artificial Earth satellite, A.

Explanation: The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on October 4, 1957, orbiting for three weeks before its batteries died; where it then silently for two more months before falling back into the atmosphere.