Posts: 52384 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-17-2024 11:06 AM
Last year, I was contacted by the American Journey Experience, Glenn Beck's privately-funded museum in Irving, Texas, about an engineering model of Sputnik that Beck had bought at Heritage Auctions. After working with Beck's staff to try to address the concerns, they asked I come to the museum to be interviewed.
The product of that trip is the pilot episode of "The Beck Story," a TV series that will "attempt to answer some of the most burning questions and mysteries surrounding the artifacts in Glenn's museum."
(My participation in the show does not and should not be seen as an endorsement for the advertisements and promotions included within the video.)
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4573 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 05-17-2024 02:46 PM
Intriguing story Robert. In my opinion, for what it is worth, the Sputnik featured was a display model comprising period correct parts... but not all of the parts.
For display purposes you would not need the majority of parts from an original, more specifically the internal components.
The fact it weighs less than one third of the other known authentic models would suggest to me that this was cobbled together for display purposes only.
If or when more discoveries are made about the model in question I hope we get to hear about it.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 52384 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-17-2024 04:07 PM
Yes, that is certainly a plausible explanation.
As mentioned in the interview, I could see a scenario where this began as a partially constructed fourth engineering model, which for whatever reason, was not needed and so was never completed for testing. We know that after the launch, the Soviets toured with several different models of Sputnik, so perhaps this one was cleaned up and fitted with spare parts to join the later replicas on display.
posted 05-17-2024 11:06 AM
advertisement