1st man-made object to orbit Earth lasted for 92 days
Sputnik 1, the first man-made object to orbit Earth, was launched by the Soviets in October 1957. Sputnik (meaning 'companion' or 'fellow-traveller' in Russian) circled the Earth every 95 minutes at over 40,000 kmph, 800 kilometres above the planet. After 92 days in space, the sphere-shaped spacecraft fell back and disintegrated into the atmosphere, on January 4, 1958.