Duh. Sputnik (SPOOT neek) (CPyTH|/|K (in the closest approximation of cyrilic I can get in non-cyrilic characters) in Russian) is a Soviet Satelite (and the first in the Sputnik series of satelites) that was put in low oribit and circled the globe many times, broadcasting it's tracking beacon. I don't remember if it did anything else.

Everyone already knew that
--WetWired