The International Geophysical Year

Sputnik is in the soviet satellite that launched in 19 57. It was sold as this great symbol of global co operation, an australian contribution to the 62 nation programme concerns the visual study of the distant stars. But it actually had a second purpose: The us and russia were both developing nuclear weapons and long range missiles. In order to develop those technologies, you have to understand the environment. Measuring ocean currents helped with things like the development of submarines to carry the missiles. Even sizmic stations can be used to listen on nuclear testing.