Did you know that the Space Race lasted twenty years? The Space Race, which included the USA and the Soviet Union, was a competition between these two countries that motivated engineers around the world to excel in space technology. The race also sped up the pace in which space technology advanced and eventually led to the landing on the moon. Some may say the Space Race provided no real benefit, but history proves otherwise. Without the race there would be no inspiration to develop the missions that have taken place, and without that competition some technicians and engineers may have seen no benefit or point to accomplishments that took place in space. The Space Race provided several goals such as successful technology and missions completed within a certain duration of time, therefore, without the space race we as humans and Americans would not be where we are today with space travel and technology. …show more content…
Imagine modern space technology without NASA! History.com states,“In 1958 the United States launched its own satellite, Explorer I, designed by the U.S Army under the direction of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. That same year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a public order creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a federal agency dedicated to space exploration.” NASA was a project designed for the space race, and was created to go against the Soviet satellite Sputnik, but obviously continued afterwards, as seen by modern space missions. One could say the space race did not cause NASA to exist, and that space technology would have thrived either way, but many researchers believe that the launch of Sputnik led to the creation of
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.
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.
The Long-Term Implications of the Space Race on the US Economy AP Seminar 18 January 2023 Word Count: 1216 Introduction The space race was a time of fierce rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both were trying to get the upper hand on space exploration and technological advances. It lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s and was a representation of the more significant Cold War between the two nations. The Space Race greatly impacted the US economy and shaped it into how it is today.
Although in actuality Sputnik provided no real purpose besides orbiting and sending signals back to Earth, it motivated the U.S. military, who were described as “the strongest advocate for getting to the moon first,” as stated by K. Eichenwald in Newsweek Global. The race to the moon was not for research and further education, but rather a political move to try and possess the moon as their own,
The Space Race seemed to only benefit the Soviets in the beginning. They were the first to launch Sputnik in 1957, and famously the first to put a man in space, Yuri Gagarin. According to historians though, these initial Soviet victories helped the United States to reach the moon first. In an effort to educate the public about the impacts of the original Soviet dominance in the war and how it helped propel the United States into the country who landed on the moon first, Asif Siddiqi, an esteemed space historian with a PhD from Fordham University stated, "In some ways, Sputnik and Gagarin were like gifts to NASA... You're not going to have a moon program without that kind of a shock.
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.
In this regard, the new Space Race is first and foremost a technological competition
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.
"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 United States viewed the space race as a way to stop the spread of communism and prevent the spread of the Soviet Union's influence on Western European nations including France, Italy, and Greece (“The Space Race”). They also used their acomplishments to create new alliances or strengthen old ones as well as spread capitalism. While In the Soviet Union the race and war were seen as a way to strengthen and expand the communist system. They used their success to showcase the superiority of communism (Schlesinger,
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.