The Space Race was important to U.S history because of the significance of the battle between democratic society and totalitarian communism, because it brought an end to the Cold War, and because it led into further joint ventures between the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia), including the first space station. This 18 year long race between the two nations for international superiority via space and the transportation needed to get there was seen as a new level of pressure put on the United States to come out on top.
The Soviet Union was putting us to a test of "cold war competition" in which they believed they had military and technological superiority over the United States.
They knew that if it could be proven to everyone that they were in the lead of the battle for the furthest advanced nation technologically, that more people would trust in the ways of totalitarianism. But, President Kennedy wanted to impress the masses and beat the Soviets to the moon. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, and started the tense battle between the two countries.
The leaders of both nations agreed that it was extremely important that their country come out on top to prove the military strength of their land paramount.
The Space Race eventually brought an end to the Cold War. This Cold War was a 44 year period of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in which each country shared the perception that the other had hostile intentions and could overpower the other's military at the drop of a hat with weapons of mass destruction.
Since the United States reached the moon first, it was made clear to everyone that they had...
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
With World War II coming to an end, a new war started between the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic ,USSR, and United States. This war was called the Cold War. There were many things invented during the cold war such as Sputnik. Sputnik was the very first satellite ever launched into space. This gave the USSR the edge on the race to space. (Sputnik)…
- 1007 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
One of the ways the two superpowers competed was the Space Race. The Space Race was initiated on October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union, when they launched Sputnik 1. The launch caused a huge shock to the United States.…
- 542 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Though the Cold War had some physical conflict throughout it, most of the the conflict was flexing and showing off who had the bigger “muscles”. The United States and the Russia were constantly showing how advanced their technology was with…
- 810 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Understanding the history of Neil Armstrong’s Moon walk is not complete without reference to the Cold War and the Soviet space achievements which ran parallel to those of the United States. The Cold War was the catalyst that would turn the highly speculative and romanticized vision of space travel into an unquestionable reality. Competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was fierce. The two world superpowers were engaged in a race to see who would be able to successfully send their men to walk across the surface of the Moon first. The USSR’s launch of the Sputnik sattellite, and Laika the dog in 1957 marked the beginnings of the Space Race. The U.S. quickly countered in 1958 by sending satellites of it’s own, the Explorer and Vanguard and organizing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In effect, the Soviet Union would set the bar for which the United States would aim to surpass. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin of the USSR became the first man to orbit the earth. This was also the year of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, when he commits the United States to the goal of landing the first man on the moon before the completion of the decade. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, it became unclear whether this task would be possible for the country to reach.…
- 755 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
From the mid 1940’s through the mid 1960’s, the United States was in its first cold war with the Soviet Union. It was considered cold because there was no outright fighting. The U.S. had been fighting to rid the world of communism, but only brought the communist USSR and USA together to fight their common enemy, Germany in World War two. The United States made a deal with the USSR that once Germany surrendered, ninety days after that they would declare war on Japan. The US had developed a nuclear bomb that would eventually lead to be the winning weapon of world war two.…
- 963 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
race, the Soviets were beating the The U.S. badly. In 1958, the U.S. launched its first…
- 569 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The ‘Space Race’ was an unofficial competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, the focus of which was space exploration. It began after World War II, in the mid-1950s, when Russia launched a satellite into space. After this, the race was on between America and Russia to gain as much ground in space as possible. The Space Race began in 1955, when both the United States and the Soviet Union announced they would be launching artificial satellites into space.…
- 903 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was one of the greatest rivalries of the 20th century. From 1955 to 1972, these two superpowers battled each other for supremacy in space flight technologies, with each country launching multiple satellites and manned missions into space. Their ultimate goal was to put a man on the moon. The 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Soviets had an immense effect on the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The launch proved that Eisenhower lacked leadership skills. He could not prove to his fellow Republicans in congress that space travel should be a top priority of the country. Democrats believed that not enough funding had gone into national defense and that the Soviet satellite…
- 239 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
The Soviet Union was much more advanced in terms of space technology. Kennedy was eager to compete against the Soviet Union’s space victories. Scrambling to catch up, the United States launched its own satellite, Explorer 1.This was the start of the “Space Race.” On May 25, 1961, Kennedy made his bold goal public "landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth by the end of the decade.” He asked Congress for $7- $9 billion to fund the space program. This led to the improvement of American space technology. In February 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. As space exploration continued through the 1960s, the United States was on its way to the moon. Although Kennedy didn’t live to see the day, his goal of landing a man on the moon was reached. On July 20, 1969 American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. set off on the Apollo 11 for the moon. This was the memorable moment that Neil Armstrong stepped on to the lunar surface, and said the unforgettable words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This was a turning point in human history; it was the greatest technological achievement of the century and possibly in all history. The true significance was that this gave people at…
- 1013 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
The period of the Cold war began in 1945 following World War II after the defeat of Hitler, Germany and Japan. The Cold War wasn’t a one time event, rather it was a long period of fighting between the leadership of the Western World and Eastern Europe. The two countries known as superpowers led the charge with the Western side led by the USA and Eastern Europe led by the Soviet Union. Although once allies during World War II, mistrust with the leadership of Joseph Stalin and his leadership caused the USA to take a stand against the communist country. Although a war was never formally declared, the two super powers fought indirectly through proxy wars, space race, and arms race.…
- 275 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Space exploration has always been fascinating, and it gives us hope of finding something new. According to the video “Space Race: 20th Century Timeline and Firsts,” “though the idea of space travel was discussed for hundreds of years, the field of rocketry got its first big boost in the early 20th century.” A century ago, space exploration was just a concept or a dream for mankind, but this idea had been accomplished by the developed of powerful rocket which overcome the force of gravity. In the beginning, on March 16, 1926 an American physicist, Robert A. Goddard, launched the first liquid fuel rocket in history. After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union created their own missile programs. On October 4th 1957, the Soviets launched the first satellite into space. Later on, a national goal of “Landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within a decade” was set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 (Space Race). On July 20, 1969, Astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man walking onto the moon. The space exploration improved for the century, and now the advances of technology have pushed space travel to go further and discover other planets in solar system. However, in order to explore universe in details, many scientists have endeavored very hard to invent more new high technologies. Therefore, with its high technologies, space exploration has a lot of impacts on us today. For example, with the satellite system put up in the space, the weather forecast today has a high accuracy level, and this accuracy has helped in preventing many calamities. Besides the weather forecast, the satellite system also helps people to transmit the news or media all over the world almost instantly. Moreover, the researching space becomes a high paying jobs for many…
- 1254 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
First, The Soviet Union was winning and the U.S was falling behind. The Soviet Union launched the first ever satellite. The Soviet Union also put the first man into orbit. The U.S. Tried to launch a satellite but failed. President Eisenhower was mocked when the satellite crashes because he rushed the production. The Soviet Union launches the first space probe that landed on the moon. The Soviet Union is just beginning as more launches follow. The U.S is losing and the…
- 324 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout history people have strived to improve technology and discover more information about the world and its universe. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States competed against each other in order to prove they were superior in space exploration. Being the first to send a satellite into space or land a man on the moon ultimately demonstrates advanced science programs, technology, and economic status. Therefore when the Soviet Union launched the first hand made satellite, the United States raced to build, test, and launch one of their own. After several failures, the United States had their first success on March 17, 1958 and within the next few months, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was founded.…
- 1751 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays -
In the beginning of the 1950’s tensions were high between the Soviets and the U.S. The Cold War had become known worldwide as a nuclear arms race between two super powers. However, a new kind of race had begun between the two countries, The Space Race. This was a race to control the outer space surrounding Earth, which could ultimately act as a nuclear missile path. Controlling outer space with nuclear capabilities could mean massive destruction for the world as we know it. The two super powers were now fighting two races, each with their own importance.…
- 768 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Nine years prior to the launch date of the Saturn V, President John F. Kennedy had said that by the end of the decade the country would put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth. The landing of the Apollo 11 on the moon ushered in the era of the moon exploration that so far until then had gone unrivaled. When President Kennedy made his announcement it came at the height of the space race, which was a subplot to the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union started the space race by sending the first artificial satellite into orbit, Sputnik l in October 1957 (www.nationalgeographic.com).…
- 1450 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays