The Space Race all started on October 4th 1957 the Soviet Union launched a satellite named “Sputnik” this frightened the americans in a way because ,they thought that if the Soviet Union could launch a satellite into space they could easily launch a nuclear bomb that could very well harm their country. On Nov 3. the Russians launched another satellite that they called “Sputnik 2” it was bigger and more technologically advanced ,but the major difference between “Sputnik” and “Sputnik 2” was that “Sputnik 2” was carrying a dog “Laika”. “Laika” helped us prove that humans are able to withstand space exploration.
This sparked a campaign that we called the “Space Race” eager to not fall too far behind the U.S. launched a satellite of their own on Jan 31. called the “Explorer 1” this satellite then put the
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So on NASA started working on the spacecraft “Apollo 11” this aircraft costed 25 billion dollars to build. Then on Dec 7. NASA announces the Gemini Program, which was NASA’s second human spaceflight program. Then on February 20. John Glenn Orbited the earth 3 times in a row, then when he returned home NASA observed him to see if everything was okay with him ,and everything was okay so they packed his bags and sent him back home. On Sep 12 President Kennedy gave a speech at Rice University stating the importance of the Moon
Now that the Space Race is over, what is the point? Are we wasting our money? Should we cut their budget? When the cold war ended with the soviets in 1991, it sparked up a debate as to whether or not the funding for the National Aeronautics and space administration should be continued. Although it may seem like a simple fix, it has proved to be one of NASA’s greatest and most difficult challenges yet.
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.
With the television becoming a necessity in the modern home, it grew in popularity. As technology furthered people wanted to see more things and it excited them. As technology advanced even more, the people of the U.S, decided to invest in space ships. They used these spaceships to put the first man on the moon. It showed just how advanced America was.
In 1967 when USSR launched the satellite Sputnik into orbit the only satellite we had seen from earth was the moon. This single event change our thoughts of space and travel forever and suddenly the space race was on to see who could achieve space travel first and secure our National Security. The USSR was the first to send a man into space but with the promise of a young president we were the first to land on the moon. For the next few decades these two power nations would not only change space technology and our understanding of the universe but it would change the lives of everyone on the planet. The Apollo Missions changed everyday technology that would cause a dramatic shift in electronics and computer technology.
Before the space race The United States hadn’t done much exploring in space or what they could send up into space but this race with the Soviet Union encouraged the United States to start exploring their limits and everything outside of our world. The United States’ first achievement was the explorer one which was the first satellite sent into space. This helped them to understand their limits on space exploration as said in this quote "We believe that when men reach beyond this planet, they should leave their national differences behind them." President John F. Kennedy, 1962. The space race has impacted the world in a way that has given everyone the idea that there really are no limits if you set your mind to something and you really want to do
On February 20, 1962, the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission better known as the “Friendship 7” sent John Glenn Jr. into Space with the goal of being the first American to orbit the earth (Mercury) .The mission was successful with the spacecraft reaching an altitude of 162 statute miles, and an orbital velocity of 17,500 miles per hour (John). Even though it was not the first orbital mission of the world, the success of the Mercury-Atlas 6 Mission was a monumental achievement and gave Americans the reassurance that they were a contender in the race. The success of the mission inspired about two million government workers to share their skills for the future space flights (Friendship). The generosity of those people helped to send the next six piloted flights launch (Friendship).
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
That’s when the Apollo program was initiated, all of the missions weren’t going so well at first till Apollo 11 when Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins had successfully landed on the moon (The space race,
Reconnaissance Missions Although the USSR had sent more satellites to space than America had, scientists in the U.S. had been working on a top-priority reconnaissance program that would fly over the Soviet Union and take pictures. President Eisenhower authorized a joint effort between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United States Air Force to carry out this program. The CIA named the reconnaissance satellite “Corona” and to hide what they were doing, they created the cover name of “Discoverer” which was purported to be a “scientific research program.” Within a short period of time, “more than 100 Corona missions took 800,000 photographs,” of the USSR (“Discoverer/Corona: First U.S. Reconnaissance Satellite”).
and the Soviet Union. This war was not fought with weapons but with technology to see who could out due each other. The space race came from this. Both the U.S. and Russia were trying to see who could send satellites and people into space. In the end the U.S. won the space race.
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.
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.
Yuri Gagarin created an inspiration for not only fellow pilots like himself, but also everyday people. He worked in Russia to start the Space Race, a competition between USA and the Soviet Union. (Wilson, 2011) On April 12th, 1961, Gagarin went to space. “On that day in 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (left, on the way to the launch pad) became the first human in space, making a 108-minute orbital flight in his Vostok 1 spacecraft.”
The Apollo Missions were an accomplishment of huge significance as a Nation came together and stepped on the Moon. The words of Neil Armstrong “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind” still ring true today. Russia was moving quickly with Sputnik and we would not stand for that. NASA had a couple goals in mind; establish/develop needed technology, science exploration of the moon and space, and finally to establish the United States dominance in space.
During the years preceding the World War I, exponential progress in space technology was made in countries like Germany, the USSR and the USA. Unsurprisingly, their activities received an enormous boost during the war and afterwards, leading eventually to the great breakthrough of 1957, when Sputnik I became the first satellite to orbit the Earth in outer space. In April 1961, Yuri Gagarin completed the first manned space flight and in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot on the moon. It had, by then, already become apparent that legal rules were indispensable, if confusion and undesirable practises in the use of outer space were to be avoided.