Освоение космического пространства

[birdwatcher]

I remember very well the first time we met and we talked about Sputniks. She was talking about Beatnik writers, and I mistook the word and said 'Sputnik.' We laughed about it, and that broke the ice. Do you know what 'Sputnik' means in Russian? 'Traveling companion.' I looked it up in a dictionary not long ago. Kind of a strange coincidence if you think about it. I wonder why the Russians gave their satellite that strange name. Its just a poor little lump of metal, spinning around the earth."

Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart