There were many things the space race did that effect the world but the main 3 are slowing the Cold War, advancing technology, and opened the eyes of American people.
The space race is in its deepest state now. Both the USA and Russia were deep in the space race. The space race was also in the middle of one of the biggest standoffs of all time, the Cold War. The Cold War was a big standoff between the USA and Russia over who had more power with things like nukes. But the Cold War wasn’t just about nukes. The space race was also a major aspect in the Cold War. This is because whoever controlled space had an advantage of power over the other. On April 12, 1961, Russia sent the first man into space. This was a massive achievement that put America
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But it originally gained ground in 1981. This program was brought to the attention of NASA, which was one of the USA's top space programs. It was meant to be able to transport Americans to space while also bringing satellites with them. But little did they know it would actually spark the imaginations of many people around the world. Eventually, the shuttle program would take its first flight on April 12, 1981. This was a big deal because now people could be transported to and from space very quickly. Not only did the shuttle program transport people to space, but it also opened the eyes of many Americans. Many Americans had never really thought about being astronauts. Eventually, with the shuttle program came opportunities; more people could train to be astronauts and get to experience space. These shuttles were not just used for transport; they were also used for research. One main technological advancement brought to space was the Hubble space telescope. This telescope is still used today and was brought up by the shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. This telescope brought lots of information for the USA to use. This information is still used today; just the other day, a picture of a black hole was taken a long way …show more content…
Satellites have also played a very important role in advancing the technology used today. These satellites have done many things, but one main thing is the outreach of communication. This helped people make calls and be able to communicate even if they were far away from each other. The first satellite was launched into space by Russia on October 4, 1957. This satellite was named Sputnik, coming from the word path. This launch worried many Americans by showing that Russia had supremacy in space. President Eisenhower assured everyone that America would catch up and soon lead the space race. On February 1, only a few short months after the launch of Sputnik, Explorer 1 was launched into space. This marked the start of the space race, which lasted for about 20 years. Satellites, once in space, didn’t just help with communications; they also helped with things like weather and navigation. This was a major deal because we could now track things like natural disasters and predict oncoming weather conditions. Also, with these new satellites, we were able to connect from all over the world. This plays into things like the internet, which we still use to this day. To sum up everything that has been stated so far, satellites really were able to help advance technology. Almost two and a half decades after the first satellite was launched into space, NASA launched the first man onto the
Soon after the Cold War came to an end, the United States and the USSR both began military technological advancements. If the USSR could get missiles into space, they could set them off at anyone anywhere. In the interest of protecting America and possibly the rest of the world, the main objective for the Space Race was to protect us against missiles from the USSR military. These advancements led to a competition between the US and the USSR to see who would be the first to space. America and the USSR were two of the most powerful countries in the entire world at that point in time.
Afterwards, there were few well-known space shuttles like ‘Challenger’ and ‘Endeavor’. According to the research information, the success of many American space missions were actually relied on a majority of
The Space Race began in 1957 and it was a race to who went farther with a space breakthrough. For example, launching satellites, sending humans into space, and landing on the moon. Both wanted to show dominance and superiority. The Soviet Union led the race on October 4th, 1957 when they launched the first satellite. It weighed 184 pounds, it would orbit earth every 96 minutes and it transmitted radio signals for 21 days.
According to the Congressional Digest on “NASA History,” “During this period, space exploration emerged as a major area of contest and became known as the Space Race.” The Space Race was a nearly twenty year process between 1957 and 1975. During this time there was a constant battle between the two countries over who would be the first to send satellites into space. The first manmade object sent to space was Sputnik I, by the Soviet Union.
They did not stop there though, because on April 12, 1981, the United States created its first reusable space shuttle. The two solid rocket boosters that helped boost the space shuttle into orbit would be re-used, once recovered from the ocean along with other parts (Dunbar). This was an amazing feat that would lead to even more technological advances in space aeronautics. In 1981 IBM released the IBM 5150 which was the company's very first personal computer. It was groundbreaking at the time, and would lead to other advances in software.
According to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, the space race began In 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite which the United States saw as a challenge to see who could make the most technological advancements within the following decade (Space Program).Shortly after the race began, the Soviet Union sent Yuri Gagarin into space, and he became the first man to Orbit the earth, the United States saw this as a sign that they were falling behind their competition (Space Program).The space race aimed to determine a superior nation between the United States and the Soviet Union, in the beginning the Soviet Union was clearly in the lead so the people of the United States were even more united with the common goal of being a superior nation. According to the National Cold War Exhibition at the Royal
The Space race led the Soviet Union to the creation of Satellites which became an important element in the race (The Space Race). While the Soviet Union focused on improving their satellites, the United State worked on spacecraft technology. (Seedhouse 241) Political influence became another accomplishment that both countries gained throughout the Space Race (Seedhouse 41). Although the two countries had been trying to gain political superiority over one another, the Space Race increased the intensity and gave them more opportunities to promote their political ideologies through their achievements
To respond to this threat of technological superiority, the United States created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to regain its superiority over the Soviet Union in space exploration. The competition had become more intense as more and more milestones were achieved by both parties as both parties strived to become the first to achieve said milestones such as the first human to be in space (Yuri Gagarin), and the first ever American to orbit the Earth (John Glenn). The moon landing, more specifically the famous and well-known Apollo 11 mission in 1969, marked a symbolic victory for the United States. The Apollo 11 mission was the overall victory of the Space Race since the moon landing was the major objective for both sides as being the first one to step on the moon was a major showcase of the United States technological superiority and conveyed how a free-market democracy was more successful.
By 1962 The United States was able to send the first person to orbit around Earth which led to the Apollo Project being put into place. The project was a part of President John F. Kennedy's plan to reach the moon before the end of the decade (Seedhouse 195). The Apollo project hit its first major setback in January 1967 after an aircraft caught on fire killing three astronauts. A year prior to this strategy the chief engineer of the Soviet space program passed. By 1968 the United States sent out Apollo 8 which successfully orbited the moon.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. " This well known quote by the renowned astronaut Neil Armstrong forever marked the beginning of a new age as the Space Race came to its final chapter. The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era was a pivotal period in the history of space exploration, where these two global superpowers aim to compete for technological superiority in military and space. While both the United States and the Soviet Union gained significant benefits from the Space Race in terms of technological advancements, scientific discoveries, and national prestige, the United States emerged as the primary beneficiary due to its long-lasting impact on space exploration and technological innovation.
The period between 1945 and 1989 saw significant advancements in both space travel and information technology, which revolutionized the way we explore space and conduct research. The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 marked the beginning of the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. Rapid advancements in rocketry and propulsion systems were made, ultimately resulting in the US landing the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Reusable spacecraft, such as the US Space Shuttle, made space travel more cost-effective and accessible. Additionally, many artificial satellites were launched for communication, imaging, and navigation purposes.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, was founded in 1958 shortly after this spark of exploration. NASA was the organization in the United States dedicated to research and exploration of space. NASA had many different programs throughout the race such as the Project Gemini, Project Mercury, and Project Apollo. These were some of the names of the projects that had specific goals in the race. All of these programs aimed to complete one of the firsts of space travel before the Soviet Union could.
In 1961, John F. Kennedy announced his submission to the “space race”. It was a mission he was determined to win against the Soviet Union, that had been going on since 1957. Although all they did was send a small satellite into space orbiting the earth, it had been a competition against the Russian and American scientist to witness who would perform the next break though in space travel. As a matter of fact, Kennedy announced his plan to Congress on May 2, 1961 that it was time for the nation to take action by being the first to take on a space achievement. As a result, Kennedy established taking the dramatic goal of taking on space travel by announcing his famous speech.
Space has helped hone the skills of scientist. By using satellite technology for space, they were able to use the same concept for Earth. Even with all the benefits of space, its major down falls are cost, risks, and low chances of reward for their efforts. Many space explorations cost fortunes with little to come out of it, making it almost seem not worth it. The risk is another key factor, with little known about the majority of space, many outliers can appear out of nowhere and can cause death to anyone that happens to be working up there.
The schools started changing; their curriculums became much stronger in math and science. It was more a goal to develop an engineer than attorney; it just really affected our schools.” From this quotation one can see that the space race influenced the education in the United States and changed it for the better. Bradt says, “Though Sputnik was a relatively simple satellite compared with the more complex machines to follow, its beeping signal from space galvanized the United States to enact reforms in science and engineering education so that the nation could regain technological ground it appeared to have lost to its Soviet rival” (Bradt). Although the Sputnik was not known to be technologically advanced it was the first thing to orbit the earth, it stunned people in the United States and caused an instant response.