Sputnik Debate Summary

Section B: Summary of Evidence
American Inferiority to Soviets
• Soviet’s Sputnik device was eight times heavier than what the U.S planned and launched much sooner.
• Soviets claimed to understand American “difficulties” but disclaimed their competition with America in conquering space.
Improved Space Technology
• American fears were provoked because the Soviets were able to launch a major space technology while the United States had failed twice.
• Prior to Russian launch of Sputnik, Americans thought that they were superior to the Soviets.
• Began the Space race in America against the Soviet Union to close the “space gap”
• Although President Dwight Eisenhower had tried to downplay the importance of the Sputnik launch to the American

• The Survey Research Center found that 6 months before this first launching, half of the American public had never heard of an earth satellite.

Fear of Communism
• Public opinion demanded federal aid and action in the wake of Sputnik’s launch
• Initially people feared the satellite because they didn’t know if the satellite was a weapon of war or a device used to spy on the Americans

War with Soviet Union
• With launch of Sputnik, President Eisenhower deemed the principle of “freedom of space” o American’s created a top-secret project, CORONA, to create a spy satellites to tell where every Soviet missile was located.
• With the launch of Sputnik, the perception of American weakness and complacency was created.
• Diplomatically, Sputnik helped realign the United States and Great Britain as allies. o Weakened relations due to 1946 Atomic Energy Act
• With the common threat of the Soviet Union, NATO was strengthened, guaranteeing the placement of American nuclear arms in Europe.
• Military experts and scientists realized that such a satellite will guide in intercontinental missile studies.
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