November 3 – Launch of Sputnik 2, with a dog called Laika on board, the first animal sent into orbit. There is no technology available to return it to Earth.
December 6 – The United States attempts launch of Vanguard TV3 which fails after just two seconds in the air.
Project Orion begins, a U.S. program to build a spacecraft powered by nuclear explosions.
April – IBM delivers the first compiler for the FORTRAN scientific programming language. It becomes the most widely used computer language for technical work.
Gliese, W. (1957). "Katalog der Sterne näher ALS 20 Parsek für 1950.0". Astronomisches Rechen-Institut Heidelberg Mitteilungen Serie A. 8. Heidelberg: Astronomischen Rechen-Institut: 1. Bibcode:1957MiABA...8....1G.
Clausen, Torben (August 2007). "J.C. Skou identified Na+/K+-ATPase pump – a breakthrough and its significance". Ugeskrift for Læger (in Danish). 169 (35): 2897. PMID17878005.