The Race to Space Essay - 960 Words

The Race to Space The tension that existed between the U.S. and Russia during the years after WWII was not only a time that both countries patiently tried to keep the world from another war, but was also a time of great rivalry in the exploration of space. As both counties diligently experimented with plans for creating a way to get into the vastness of space, spies on both sides were already in place to steal those ideas. And so the space race begun. Both countries wanted to be the first to succeed so millions were spent as the world watched as the U.S. and Russia went head to head in a battle that would change the world forever. The space race began with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957 as Roy Silver and other†¦show more content†¦In late July of 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower announced that the United States would launch several small satellites, which was to begin July 1, 1957. Within a couple days, the Russians announced similar intentions, but the Soviet satellite wou ld be larger than the American one. By mid-1957, the official Soviet press suggested the first launch was months away. Few people in the United States paid much attention to the prediction though. On October 4, 1957, Sputnik lifted off. Sputnik was only in orbit for three weeks, but those who tracked it gained valuable information about the destiny of the upper atmosphere and the manner in which it altered the satellites orbit. On January 4, 1958, after ninety-two days in orbit, Sputnik I re-entered the Earths atmosphere and burned up. On November 3, 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik II. It was a much heavier satellite, which carried the first living mammal into space. It was a dog named Laika. Laika died after ten days in space. Some of the information sent from the satellite showed that Laika was alive until there was no more oxygen left on board. Sputnik II re-entered the Earths atmosphere and burned up on April 14, 1958, after 162 days in space. President Eisenhower ann ounced on November 7, 1957 that James R. Killian would be the first White House science advisor and soon approved one billion dollars forShow MoreRelatedThe Space Race746 Words   |  3 PagesThe space race was an important time in history, for the U.S, USSR, and the rest of the world. Soon after World War II, the Soviet Union and United States began a global battle, communism against democracy. Space became a huge entity in the war. Each side spend billions on besting each others achievements in what later became known as the famous Space Race. The Cold War was the United States capitalists, versus the Soviet communists. It wasnt an actual war, but more of a grudge, because thereRead MoreThe Space Race 792 Words   |  3 Pagesambition to explore past the realms of his being. The space race marked the first time homo sapiens were able to escape and extend their biosphere. This age is filled with technological advancement. The space race gave the ability for a new age of technological advancements to occur. Almost every technological device that is produced or owned by people in the 21st century world contains technology that was invented or derived from the space race. Technology is the product of modernization and industrializationRead MoreEssay On The Space Race755 Words   |  4 Pagesexplore on Earth, Space is infinite. The Space Race was a historical competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for the first humans to reach the moon. Taking place during 1957-1975, the Space Race showcased the deter mination between the two nations to display who had the superior science and technology knowledge. After the Russians created the first satellite, the United States felt threatened that the Soviet Union would have military control over space and began to race against theirRead MoreThe Space Race Essay1575 Words   |  7 Pages The Space Race; a period in time, more than a two decades of space exploration. Its competitors, USA vs USSR. Its length consisting of no more than 12 years yet giving increased knowledge of flight and the sky and space above it. It consisted of more than thirty overall successful launches and through each abysmal failure brought new success. The launches increased the overall knowledge of space and brought new ideas and questions into peoples minds. Sci-Fi sprung up from the ideas that the eventsRead MoreEssay On The Space Race707 Words   |  3 PagesThe Space Race Imagine you’re running in a race, all you have to do to win is run fast and go past the finish line first. Now, imagine you’re in another race, but to win you must walk on the moon! The United States and the Soviets had that kind of race during the Cold War, called the Space Race. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a Cold War is â€Å"a state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare, in particularRead MoreThe Space Race Essay1376 Words   |  6 Pagesbiggest rivalry between the two superpowers was the advancement in space technology. In 1952, the International Geophysical Year (IGY) was established in which scientists stated that in the time between July 1, 1957 and December 31, 1958, solar activity would be at a high point. The IGY made it so that both the US and the USSR became determined to be the first to reach space, and so the space race was born. During the space race, the USSR made many launches that were very advanced and superior toRead MoreRemembering the Space Race733 Words   |  3 Pageswas not one that was fought with weapons or men, this battle was to prove the superiority of each country and would prove, to the world, which country had greater technology, science programs and by extension its political economic system. The space race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, which would only end when the first men would walk on the moon and conquer the last frontier. The Cold War, a time of hostelry between the Eastern and Western Blocs. This periodRead MoreSputnik And The Space Race1598 Words   |  7 Pagespanic through Americans. Both the US and USSR were trying to be the first ones into space. So this failure had pushed the US to work harder and led to the creation of NASA.The creation of NASA had lead to the start of the space race. Space race conflicts had lasted over the next 30 years until the Americans had finally claimed the victory in the space race. There were many different influences to the space race, yet the main influence was the tensions during the cold war. The cold war was stillRead MoreThe World Of The Space Race1887 Words   |  8 PagesOn October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space called, â€Å"Sputnik†. It was the start of one of the biggest races in the world called â€Å"The Space Race†. But it isn’t the start of the race that is questionable but the very end. On July 19, 1969 the United States supposedly landed 3 men on the moon. More than a billion people around the globe watched this event occur on their television sets as Neil Armstrong said â€Å"That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankindRead MoreThe Continued Space Race1982 Words   |  8 Pageslaunched Sputnik into space. Thus began the seemingly-eternal battle for control of space exploration. Who would get the first man into space; to the Moon, to Mars? Everything that could b e done by either country was being done to give the edge. It soon became obvious to all that neither country was going to back down from the challenge. However, a lot has changed since 1957, governments have slumped, privatized exploration has taken charge. . . what happened? Where is space exploration going? Where