1957 in science

The year 1957 in science and technology.

See also: 1956 in science, other events of 1957, 1958 in science, list of years in science.

Astronomy and space exploration

• October 4 - Launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite

• Project Orion begins, a U.S. program to build a spacecraft powered by nuclear explosions.

Biology

• Structure of myoglobin determined by x-ray crystallography

Computer Science

• Prim's algorithm developed
• IBM makes FORTRAN scientific programming language available to customers. It becomes the most widely used computer language for technical work.

Exploration

• Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station established

Physics

• BCS theory of superconductivity developed by John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and Robert Schrieffer

Awards

• Nobel Prizes:
  • Physics - Chen Ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee
  • Chemistry- Lord Alexander R Todd
  • Medicine - Daniel Bovet

Deaths

• February 8 - John von Neumann, mathematician
• February 18 - Henry Norris Russell, astronomer