Antonio Molteni
Mrs. Payne
Honors World History
18 April 2018
The Impact of the Space Race on Technology
The Space Race was the first race to space between the Soviet Union and the United States. It Began in 1957 when Sputnik 1, the first satellite, was launched into orbit and it ended in 1975 when the U.S. and the Soviets convened in space to signify the end of their rivalry and the start of the era in space exploration and research. Throughout this era, there were many advancements made in the field of rocket technology that have shaped our modern day outlook on space but more importantly kick-started the beginning of the fastest technological growth in human history. Many of the early events and projects created by NASA and the Russian Space Program (Kosmicheskaya programma) spawned a generation of new thinkers and inventors. Alongside many other products of the Space Race, technological development and experimentation with new technology led to the development of inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), satellites with communication and data collection capabilities and the further exploration of our solar system.
Three decades later, an American man has landed on the moon. The Saturn Five rocket was the only reason that we beat the Soviets to the moon. The President, nearly a decade earlier, addressed congress to support the Apollo program. Kennedy proposed that “the goal,before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth” (Kennedy). After Russia had beat us to space with the first satellite and first person in space the president raised the stakes and is the reason why the rocket technology throughout the 1960s quickly progressed as Americans supported the president and in turn promoted nationalism along with the creation of the F-1 engine.
The space race, while focusing on rockets, also gave rise to ICBMs and other missiles. The first missile/rocket was the V-2. Although not a product of the space race, it is the reason the space race existed and shows the importance and impact a single man can have. Wernher Von Braun, the inventor of the V-2, was the later leader of the American space endeavor could be considered both a forward-thinker ahead of his time and contrastingly a killer. The German military strategists used this missile to destroy cities and kill but “more have died building Von Braun's V2 than [have been] killed by the rocket itself” (BBC). The point is that the impact technology can have can be both good and bad. ICBMs create the same problem today The modern technology that is in existence today would not exist without the invention of early rockets and missiles as they are the first step in space travel. The technology developed for these rockets and missiles have given rise to advancements in jet propulsion which has been applied today in jets as well as aerodynamics.
insert 1st ICBM
The N1-L3 is usually considered to be a colossal failure for the Soviet Space Program yet it still was of major importance. After 4 failed attempts at launch, the project was shut down. It was the first rocket with an digital system and its engines, even in 1990, were the best in the world. The N1 initiated its development late compared to the Saturn V. The project also lost its lead designer Sergei Korolev. Even though the Soyuz program did not beat the Apollo program
in the race it did not stop its development after the Apollo moon landing but its suspension in 1974 “was political rather than technical”(Harvey 233). The N1’s growth was stunted after the after 1966 but would have likely been superior to the Saturn V if it had not been canceled in 1976. The competition between the two nations was obviously the driving force behind technological development and the N1 was far ahead of its time has driven innovation long past its cancellation.
Long range communication and space exploration became possible with satellites due to the development of rockets and missiles. Satellites like Sputnik and Explorer were launched which ushered in the age of satellite telecommunications. The launch of Sputnik 1 was a demonstration of what was possible to do with artificial satellites. Sputnik could only use radio communication, which limited its capabilities. Sputnik was a PR stunt for Russia America into the space race the United States countered with the Vanguard but it failed and I just second attempt sent in Explorer 1 which could measure cosmic rays. The advance made were small in part to what would eventually happen as broadcasting technology contintinued to excel with these orbital experiments.
The first telecommunications satellite, SCORE, displayed the possibilities and abilities of satellites as it broadcasted a pre-recorded Christmas video of Eisenhower to the world. SCORE was supposed to act as a repeater for signals to receive signals and transmit them elsewhere as a proof of concept. It contained no solar cells as it was an experiment and not a long term endeavor. It not only just sent pre-recorded video but, “there were several real-time transmissions through the satellite”(Martin 3). A remote, battery operated, tin can flying through space around the earth that could both send and receive signals was extremely innovative and inventive for the era, 1958. SCORE was the first incarnation of what modern day satellites are based upon.
Contrasting from Project SCORE, Project ECHO (launched between 1960 and 1964) was a passive satellite meaning that it did not receive Signals and retransmit them but rather reflected the signals. The satellite or two large spheres launched into orbit both with metallic finishes. A signal is broadcasted to the satellite and reflected down to a station to receive it. The idea being that no electricity or data processing unit had to be equipped on the satellite. However this experiment quickly died out even though it did well with the public as it was not practical. there was no signal amplification it was hard to maintain proper shape and their were many small vibrations in the atmosphere that would change the position of the satellite and distort the signal. In the spirit of progress, “ Active satellites soon overshadowed the possible advantages of passive satellites” (Martin 4). this example shows how experimentation can lead to technological event advancement. If the engineers has had not tried, then they could not know for sure. In order for Edison to make one working lightbulb he had to make one thousand mistakes.
The next generation of a functional active satellite was Telstar 1 and is really the first successful communication satellite. It was built by AT&T which dominated all major communication at the time. Telstar was an experiment to see if this technology could be used on a global scale and commercially as it was able to send various types of signals and could receive and transmit to the ground it was so successful that “400 transmission sessions were conducted” (Martin 5) it was an overall success for AT&T and it's one of the major reasons Earth has 1000 active telecommunication satellites in orbit today. The development of these satellites was a direct result of the space race and is the main method of communication that we have used for the past 3 decades. Communications Satellites are what allow our system of fast long range communication and have affected the lives of everyone.
The development of complex satellites and eventually the International Space Station have been achieved from foreign collaboration and the exchange of technology originally developed as a result of the space race. The use of satellites in orbit around the Earth is very important to our understanding and interpretation of our universe and the Earth. The space race set in motion the ongoing development of weather satellites the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the International Space Station that have all contributed to new scientific understanding and discovery.
the development of weather satellites has drastically improved the accuracy of weather forecasting and it all started with Tiros 1 in 1960. Tiros 1 was the first generation of its kind it was bound to have pitfalls as well as problems like the fact that I had a fixed orbit in can only View “ 10 to 25% of the earth's surface in one day”, but it was an orbit for over a year and it “located or positioned 17 out of 14 named tropical storms” (Ordway 374). This satellite could take photographs and send the me back to earth in astonishing detail. It became very popular in the news as it could take many measurements of the atmosphere and took some very important measurements and readings for NASA. This satellite started a generation of weather satellites following it and has lead to the accurate forecasting of today’s world with the weather of every country around the world.
The space race did not officially end until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. The impact that the space race had on the technology at the time was felt throughout the world and its effects are still felt today. Many developments in rocket technology have impacted the technology in the late 20th century and have advanced and contributed to innovations in satellite technology which have furthered both our communication and scientific experimentation and understanding.
Works Cited
Ellery, Alex. “Planetary Rovers: Robotic Exploration of the Solar System.” Planetary Rovers: Robotic Exploration of the Solar System, Springer, 2016.
Harvey, Brian. “The Race That Never Was.” Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration, Springer, 2007, p. 233.
Kennedy, John F. “Address to Congress.” Address to Congress, 25 May 1961, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUXuV7XbZvU&t=6s.
Martin, Donald H. “Experimental Satellites .” Communication Satellites, Aerospace Press, 2000, pp. 3–7.
Ordway, Frederick I. (III). “Operational Weather Satellites.” Advances in Space Science and Technology, vol. 7, Academic Press, 1965, p. 374.
Shayler, David J., and David Michael Harland. “Afterword.” The Hubble Space Telescope: From Concept to Success, Springer, 2016, p. 387.