Paste your esThe Battle for Space Domination
Have you ever heard of the space race? It was a battle to see who could “develop aerospace capabilities, including artificial satellites, unmanned space probes, and human spaceflight” (History.com). The space race was between the world’s two super powers the United States and Soviet Union. It is commonly known for the United States’ success, although it has a history of the Soviet Union’s success. It was a tremendous part of the Cold War during the 1900s. The main thing that started the space race was the bad relationships between countries. The United States and Soviet Union relationship was “in the years between 1957 and 1991 often was characterized by periods of mistrust and overt hostility” (Dunbar). In other words, this bumpy relationship led to each country trying to one up each other.
To begin with the Soviet Union had major success. They were able to put the first man made satellite into the orbit around Earth. “The name of this satellite was Sputnik the Russian name for traveler” (Nationalcoldwarexhibition.com). The Soviet’s launch of the first Sputnik shot fear and anxiety in to the American people that the United States technology has been passed up. Soon after the first Sputnik the Soviets launched Sputnik II “which carried the first space traveler, Laika the dog” (Nationalcoldwarexhibition.com). Following the successful launches of Sputnik, I and II the Soviets then launched Sputnik III. The Soviets Sputnik missions were very successful and showed their power and capability to be the best. To add on to their success with the Sputnik satellites the Soviets “sent a space probe Lunik III to photograph the dark side of the moon” (Getchell). Another scare for American citizens was that the technology
that the Soviet were using to launch their space projects could be used to craft inter-continental
ballistic missiles. Inter-continental ballistic missiles are capable of sending nuclear warheads to the United States. Continuing their success “the Soviet space program launched Luna 2, the first space probe to hit the moon” (History.com). In 1961 the Soviet Union launched the space craft Vostok I. Inside Vostok 1 was Yuri Gagarin who was the first man to orbit Earth ever.
In addition, to the Soviet’s early success the United States founded the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 to be responsible for the research and development of the United States space program. Also in 1958 “Congress passed the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), which envisioned public education as a key component of national security” (Getchell). The founding of NASA and NDEA were only a few of the things the United States did to respond and the Soviets. “NASA took command of a jet propulsion laboratory formally controlled by the California Institute of Technology to create NASA-JPL” (Getchell). President Eisenhower created two security space programs that operated with the NASA program. In response to the Soviet Union’s Sputnik the United States the Vanguard satellite. The launch of vanguard satellite was televised and it ended up being an embarrassing disaster for the United States. After the fail of the Vanguard satellite the United States launched Explorer I which was a success. The Americans responded to the Soviet Gagarin being the first to orbit the Earth by making Alan Shepard the first American in space. President Kennedy made the statement that the United States would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Soon after this statement “in February 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit earth” (History.com). In 1964 the spending budget of NASA was increased by almost five times the amount it was before. This lead to a major increase in numbers of NASA employees helping
with the projects. Making a comeback the United States launched the Apollo 8 mission.
Apollo 8 became the first space mission to successfully orbit the moon which was a small win for the United States. The United States kept gaining small wins to remain relevant in the space race. The Apollo missions were only the beginning of the success that the Americans were going to gain in the near future.
Furthermore, the most important part of both the United States’ and Soviet Union’s success were the men behind the programs. In charge of the United States program was Nazi scientist Wernher Von Braun. Wernher Von Braun was the mastermind behind the success of the United States. He was the lead designer of most of the space crafts and satellites. Wernher was one of the most if not the most important space scientists in the world. He planned and created the successful landing on the moon by the United States. On the other hand, in charge of the Soviet Union’s program was rocket scientist Sergei Korolev. Sergei Korolev was just as brilliant as Wernher Von Braun. Sergei Korolev worked on a small budget for his operations and missions. Sergei Korolev was very successful with the very little money he worked with. Wernher Von Braun had an almost unlimited budget for his projects.
Finally, “on July 16, 1969 the United States Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins set off on the mission Apollo 11” (History.com). On July 20, the Americans successfully landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first person to step foot on the moon saying, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Shortly after being the first one on the moon he was joined by fellow astronaut Edwin Aldrin. One thing a lot of people do not know is that Michael Collins had to stay behind and pilot the aircraft. He is the forgotten astronaut of this mission because he did not step foot on the moon. With the successful landing on the moon the United States finally won the Space Race. The space began in the early 1950s with the Soviet’s Sputnik I. “For their part, the Soviets had four failed attempts to successfully complete a lunar landing mission between 1969 and 1972” (History.com). With the conclusion of the space race:
The United States government interest in lunar missions waned after the early 1970s. In 1975, the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission sent three U.S. astronauts into space aboard an Apollo spacecraft that docked in orbit with a Soviet- made Soyuz vehicle. When the commanders of the two crafts officially greeted each other, their “handshake in space” served to symbolize the gradual improvement of United States and Soviet relations in the late Cold War-era.
(History.com)
The space race is an important part of American history that everyone should know about.
Works Cited
Cadbury, Deborah. Space Race: the Epic Battle between America and the Soviet Union=
for Dominion of Space. Harper, 2007.
Getchell, Michelle. “The Start of the Space Race.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, 9 April,
2018 www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-8/apush-1950s-america/a/the-start-of-the-space-race.
History.com Staff. “The Space Race.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, 9
April 2018 www.history.com/topics/space-race.
NASA.” National Cold War Exhibition,9 April 2018
www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org/schools-colleges/national-curriculum/space-race/nasa.aspx.
Dunbar, Brian. “United States-Soviet Space Cooperation during the Cold War.” 9 April 2018
NASA, NASA, www.nasa.gov/50th/50th_magazine/coldWarCoOp.html.
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