Did Sputnik 1 Return to Earth?
It Achieved an Earth Orbit with an Apogee (Farthest Point from Earth) of 940 Km (584 Miles) and a Perigee (Nearest Point) of 230 Km (143 Miles), Circling Earth...
It achieved an Earth orbit with an apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 940 km (584 miles) and a perigee (nearest point) of 230 km (143 miles), circling Earth every 96 minutes and remaining in orbit until January 4, 1958, when it fell back and burned in Earth's atmosphere.
Where is the Sputnik 1 now?
It is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Did Sputnik make it back to Earth?
Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957, and just three months later, it spontaneously de-orbited and fell back to Earth. The particles from our atmosphere rise far above any artificial line we've drawn, affecting all of our Earth-orbiting satellites.