Space Race/Destiny Connection

I have to write a research paper about the Space Race and the Cold War. I found some interesting information during my research. The Russians put the first satellite into Earth's orbit and it was originally called [i]Prosteshyy Sputnik[/i] this translates to "simplest fellow traveller". This could have played some role in possibly choosing the name for "The Traveller". This could also just be a coincidence and the two could be completely unrelated. However the shape of the Sputnik was just a sphere with 3 legs sticking out and weging in at 183.9 pounds. All it did was send radio transmissions back to Earth it really wasn't much, hence the word "simplest". I know it's a long shot but let me know what you guys think.