The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Who is Changing?

By Edward Elliott
August 1, 2001
Edward Elliot explains how Sputnik helped to launch a technological revolution.

The year was 1957 and the Soviet Union stunned the world with a news announcement that it had successfully launched a satellite into outer space. It was not long after that time when more Soviet satellites were launched.

The Soviet's Sputnik program consisted of four satellites, three of which reached an Earth orbit. Sputnik 1, launched on Oct. 4, 1957, became the first artificial satellite to successfully orbit the Earth. It was a metallic sphere about 2 feet across, weighing 184 pounds, with long "whiskers" pointing to one side, and stayed in orbit for six months before falling back to Earth. Its rocket booster, weighing 4 tons, also reached orbit and was easily visible from the ground.

The second Sputnik satellite was launched on Nov. 3, 1957, and carried a dog named Laika into space. Biological data was returned for a week before the animal had to be put to sleep.

The last Sputnik installment was intended to be a space laboratory for study of Earth's magnetic field and radiation belt. After its launch on May 15, 1958, it remained in orbit for nearly two years.

The Sputnik missions all happened during the midst of the Cold War between the USSR and the United States. Americans became worried about the Soviet accomplishments and soon the development of space technology became a national priority.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower saw the need for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) after the Soviet Union's 1957 launch of Sputnik. The organization united some of America's most brilliant people, who developed the United States' first successful satellite in 18 months. Several years later ARPA began to focus on computer networking and communications technology and ARPANET was born.

It wasn't until late in 1969 that the first attempt to communicate between computers, stationed at different universities, began. The first attempt was a four-node network, and after several minutes of transmission, the system crashed. But, nevertheless, the system was feasible and required some tuning up.

Another milestone occurred in 1972 when the first e-mail program was created. It allowed transmission of text and began one of the ongoing high-rate usages of computer networks. With e-mail up and running, users could now pass information between individual users. It wasn't until the year 1974 that the first use of the term "Internet" became a public word.

Jumping now to the year 1994, the most significant thing that happened was the growth of the Internet. A well-known American pizza chain offered pizza ordering on their Web page and the first cyberbank opened for business. Commercial enterprises started to see the commercial value of the Internet.

There are many events in the history of the Internet that have not been mentioned above. There were long hours of work by numerous people developing software and protocols to advance the information highway to where it is today. New technologies were born, new services were introduced and new ideas were put into play. Now it is time to tip our hats to the many people who were involved in applying the pavement to the super highway. Even if it is somewhat of a smooth ride today, the future destination of the highway is still a mystery. For more history of the Internet, I suggest you search the Web.

The question is, will the Internet change our lives, or will we change the Internet? The latter part of the question gets the first point. The commercial value of the highway was realized back in the year 1994, when a pizza could be ordered on-line or banking carried out. Soon others followed and the dotcoms quickly blossomed.

How many times a day does one see a dotcom advertised? Advertising of dotcoms is on bumpers of cars, buses, in newspapers and on television. The dotcoms are replacing company names. Television ads are not about products as much anymore as they are about dotcoms. A company's name will become the alias, and the dotcom will be the trademark.

E-mail addresses will replace telephone numbers, and this trend will increase more so once the idea of passing voice files becomes more popular.

What about video files? Video files are quite large currently, but because of the convenience of a video file, methods of crunching the file soon will be developed. No text is needed and a letter to grandma can be a video and voice file combined and all sent at one time over the Internet backbone.

Addressing the first part of the earlier question, will the Internet change our lives? Yes, it sure will. We will learn to shop and purchase our daily needs on the Web. It will entertain us, along with supplying us with any information we are seeking and making changes to our ways of communicating with each other. While the transition will be slow, it will be much faster than any transition we had to make in the past. These are just a few changes; more surprises will come as the knowledge of electronics and their advantages becomes available.

Here is a comment taking from the Internet. Who said or printed it is not known, but it does sum up what was responsible for the information highway. It goes like this: "The Internet may have never been developed if the Soviet Union hadn't shaken the world awake by putting a tin can in the sky: Sputnik."

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Edward Elliot is a regular contributor to The Driller. He can be reached at 250-388-7694.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    The Underground Network
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Opinions
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Pumps
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

Tariffs

Tariffs Shake Up the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Foundations Default

    Who Is the Deep Foundations Institute’s 2015 Hal Hunt Lecturer?

    See More
  • Ask Brock video series

    Help! One of My Drillers is a Jerk Who Drives Away Good Hires

    See More
  • Aerial view water treatment tank with waste water.

    What’s Changing in U.S. Water Policy? Key 2025 Updates to Environmental Rules

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\ND\new site\water-well-pumps.gif

    Audel Water Well Pumps and Systems Mini-Ref

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Georgia Assn. of Groundwater Professionals

    The Georgia Association of Groundwater Professionals (GaGwP) (formerly the Georgia Drillers Association) is a state-wide, non-profit trade association which represents contractors who are engaged in the design, sales, installation, maintenance, service and repair of water wells and irrigation systems for residential, agricultural, mining, commercial, industrial and institutional customers. These are professionals whose efforts result in supplying twenty-one percent (21%) of all of Georgia's water needs and help manage our groundwater resources which will play an ever increasingly important role in implementing a long-term comprehensive plan to improve Georgia's ecosystems, water supply and water management.
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP