That article is a bit silly to start with, when it talks about recreating Sputnik from a baby monitor, balloon and heating thermostat, but gets better towards the end.The BBC appears to be launching an informal competition to prove that building a device functionally identical to the original Sputnik 1 is possible on the kitchen table.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7049002.stm
That article is a bit silly to start with, when it talks about recreating Sputnik from a baby monitor, balloon and heating thermostat, but gets better towards the end.
The functions required are a radio transmitter and devices for measuring internal temperature and pressure and relaying those measurements through the radio signal, and a battery of course. The original Sputnik 1 was sealed and its "measurements" were simple limit switches, the idea being to turn a fan on if the internal temperature rose too much, and to modulate the signal if the casing was penetrated thus losing pressure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1
The BBC is also holding out the tantalising possibility of a launch...
...any takers? Sounds like an ideal A-level project. :-)
Martin Angove