Space Race Research Paper

Words: 1280
Pages: 6

The Space Race and its Lasting Effects The Cold War was a harsh and tense time for the US and USSR and it left astounding effects on the world after it was over. The indirect fighting and one-upping of the two global superpowers had everyone tense and fearing that a total war would break out after World War I and II tragedies. The Space Race, happening during the height of the Cold War, was one of the arenas on which the battle to see who was the greatest happened and it played a key role in the Cold War. It was a completely different arena compared to the arms race that had been in motion since the start of the Cold War, the field needing technology completely different from the technology of the arms race. The Space Race significantly advanced …show more content…
Before the Apollo Program, people and test animals had only orbited Earth, and neither the USSR nor the US had gotten within arms reach of the moon. In a speech made by President Kennedy, the goal to win the Space Race was set: to win, they had to land on the moon (Mann). This evened out the battleground for the Soviets and the US, as neither had developed enough technology to make a rocket to get to the moon and subsequently, both superpowers began the race to the moon. NASA’s budgeting increased by nearly 500 percent, employee numbers grew, and the Apollo Program began, thanks to the Space Race and the need to beat the Soviets. Finally, after 10 Apollo missions, on “July 16, 1969, U.S. astronauts.set off on the Apollo 11 space mission, the first lunar landing attempt” and on July 20th, the astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man to step foot on the moon, where he said the famous quote “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” which is very true now as it was the biggest step taken in space exploration …show more content…
Despite the Space Race making groundbreaking research in only the field of space exploration, the things that came out of it are undoubtedly still very relevant and help people in many ways in the present day. The Space Race was a pivotal moment in the Cold War and kickstarted the focused pursuit of space exploration and technological advancements that completely changed the course of space exploration for future generations. It was critical for being able to make the advancements in space exploration we do today, and it was mostly because of the Space Race putting pressure on the two global superpowers to make such groundbreaking space technology in such a short time. Sputnik I was only the first satellite and many, one after another, came after it at a rapid speed all due to the Space Race, and there’s no telling if the US would have released the satellite they’d supposedly been working on before this as soon as they released a satellite due to the Space Race. Today, NASA is still very relevant and still pursues knowledge and exploration of the