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The competition began on July 30, 1955, when the United States announced its intent to launch artificial satellites for the International Geophysical Year. Four days later, the Soviet Union responded by declaring they would also launch a satellite "in the near future".
- Causes of The Space Race
- NASA Is Created
- Space Race Heats Up: Men (and Chimps) Orbit Earth
- Achievements of Apollo
- Who Won The Space Race?
By the mid-1950s, the U.S.-Soviet Cold War had worked its way into the fabric of everyday life in both countries, fueled by the arms race and the growing threat of nuclear weapons, wide-ranging espionage and counter-espionage between the two countries, war in Korea and a clash of words and ideas carried out in the media. These tensions would contin...
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. Eisenhower al...
In 1959, the Soviet space program took another step forward with the launch of Luna 2, the first space probe to hit the moon. In April 1961, the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit Earth, traveling in the capsule-like spacecraft Vostok 1. For the U.S. effort to send a man into space, dubbed Project Mercury, NASA engineers...
From 1961 to 1964, NASA’s budget was increased almost 500 percent, and the lunar landing program eventually involved some 34,000 NASA employees and 375,000 employees of industrial and university contractors. Apollo suffered a setback in January 1967, when three astronauts were killed after their spacecraft caught fire during a launch simulation. Me...
By landing on the moon, the United States effectively “won” the space race that had begun with Sputnik’s launch in 1957. For their part, the Soviets made four failed attempts to launch a lunar landing craft between 1969 and 1972, including a spectacular launch-pad explosion in July 1969. From beginning to end, the American public’s attention was ca...
On April 12, 1961, the U.S.S.R. launched the first human into orbit, Yuri Gagarin, on Vostok 1. On February 20, 1962, John Glenn, on Mercury-Atlas 6, became the first American in orbit. Between June 16 and June 19, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, on Vostok 6, became the first woman in space.
- 2 August 1955: The USSR responds to the US announcement that they intend to launch the first artificial satellite into space with a satellite of their own.
- 4 October 1957: The USSR successfully launches Sputnik 1, the first Earth-orbiting satellite in history.
- 3 November 1957: The USSR successfully launches Sputnik 2, carrying a dog named Laika into space. They become the first nation to successfully send a living organism into orbit.
- 31 January 1958: The US enter the space race by launching Explorer 1, the first US satellite to reach orbit. It carried experimental equipment that led to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt.
Mar 6, 2023 · The beginning of the Space Race was marked by the Soviet Union’s landmark firsts. However, it was the United States that was able to land the first person on the Moon in 1969. So what happened? Why did the Soviet Union suddenly seem to fall behind?
Aug 23, 2023 · President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961, declaring to Congress the goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. (NASA) From an Arms Race to a Space Race. The Space Race began as an arms race between the respective militaries of the United States and the Soviet Union.
May 14, 2023 · By Adam Mann. Contributions from. Callum McKelvie. last updated 14 May 2023. The space race was a period of competition between the Soviet Union and the United States over who could conquer...
