 In many cases, Moonwatch teams also had the responsibility of communicating news of Sputnik and the first American satellites to the public.The public responded, in turn, with infectious enthusiasm as local radio stations aired times to spot satellites and local and national newspapers ran hundreds of articles that described the nighttime activities of Moonwatchers.Moonwatch caught the attention of those citizens interested in science or the Space Race during the late 1950s and much of the general public as well.