Sputnik 1 (/ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk/, ‹See Tfd›Russian: Спутник-1, Satellite 1) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries became depleted. Aerodynamic drag caused it to fall back into the atmosphere on 4 January 1958. The world’s first observation was made at the school observatory in Rodewisch (Saxony).

It was a polished metal sphere 58 cm (23 in) in diameter with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. Its radio signal was easily detectable by amateur radio operators, and the 65° orbital inclination made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth.

The satellite’s success was unanticipated by the United States. This precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, part of the Cold War. The launch was the beginning of a new era of political, military, technological, and scientific developments. The word sputnik is Russian for satellite when interpreted in an astronomical context; its other meanings are spouse or traveling companion.

Tracking and studying Sputnik 1 from Earth provided scientists with valuable information. The density of the upper atmosphere could be deduced from its drag on the orbit, and the propagation of its radio signals gave data about the ionosphere.

Sputnik 1 was launched during the International Geophysical Year from Site No.1/5, at the 5th Tyuratam range, in Kazakh SSR (now known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome). The satellite traveled at a peak speed of about 8 km/s (18,000 mph), taking 96.20 minutes to complete each orbit. It transmitted on 20.005 and 40.002 MHz, which were monitored by radio operators throughout the world. The signals continued for 22 days until the transmitter batteries depleted on 26 October 1957. On 4 January 1958, after three months in orbit, Sputnik 1 burned up while reentering Earth’s atmosphere, having completed 1,440 orbits of the Earth, and travelling a distance of approximately 70,000,000 km (43,000,000 mi).

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I’m about to lose my fucking shit right now. This guy committed a fucking black letter law crime against me. A fucking statute. It says in the statute that I get fucking attorney fees, a 100 fucking dollars every day until THEY STOP COMMITTING THE VIOLATION with NO written end date, so TECHNICALLY I can ask for fucking 36,500 on that alone, AND THEN you START looking at the actual damages. I CAN’T BELIEVE I ALREADY GOT TALKED DOWN TO JUST PUTTING IT IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT.

2.5k seems like a lot to pay to get a few weeks of rent

It took me a few months to find a job and a place and I ended up going into debt. I had to move to another county to find a place I could afford

Have you looked at the paperwork required? Its generally not too complicated and is meant to be done by non professionals.

I have a hard time getting anything done tbh. I manage to go to work and do social reproduction and everything on top of that that would make my life better at all I just have this wall of nope I can’t jump over to get started. I thought getting an attorney to do it would at least get the process going. I have like an hour of flex time on either side of a workday and then the weekend comes and I just turn off. I looked at what I need to do but then I had questions and no one to ask them to. I don’t know how much to ask for. There’s a limit but I can calculate damages (based on my new move in date) that exceed that. Do I write that and then sue for the max? Should I trim my wings and just ask for the damages+penalties for the first month I was out even if the violation/damages were still ongoing at that point because if he followed the law, that’s how much notice I would get?

I tried looking but I couldn’t find another lawyer who would even give me the time of day.

I just went through the worst, scariest period of my life so far and I’m still not really okay and the whole thing feels like it’s been culminating into this moment and I just can’t deal with it. Sorry for ranting.

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It says in the statute that I get fucking attorney fees, a 100 fucking dollars every day

In that case it sounds like you have nothing to lose. Sue his fucking ass.

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