The Space Race

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An unrecognized revolution, The Cold War and the competition for more advanced space technology helped develop the setting of science and technology that exists today. The Space Race was accompanied by many changes, including technological, school systems, and the way we view outer space today. The effect outer space exploration has on the human race, and that new discoveries will have on the way we live our lives in the future, is enormous. The conclusion of The Space Race not only put an end to the U.S. and Russian conflict of The Cold War, but catalyzed a revolution in technology that has had a lasting effect on science and the functioning of society as a whole. A Cold War is “a conflict over ideological differences carried on by …show more content…
On this day, Russia launched Sputnik, an artificial satellite, into Earth’s orbit using an R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile. It became the first artificial object to be deposited within Earth’s orbit, which became a major breakthrough in technology. However, breakthrough or not, this was alarming news for the U.S, as it demonstrated Russia’s ability to send a nuclear weapon that could endanger the country. To maintain the safety of the U.S., it now became essential to match Russia’s progress in space exploration and gather information on Russian military (“Cold War History”). In 1958, the American response to Sputnik was launched into orbit, the U.S. army designed Explorer I. President Dwight Eisenhower correspondingly signed “a public order creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a federal agency dedicated to space exploration”, in addition to fostering two space oriented security programs (“Cold War History”). These two programs were The U.S. Air Force, designed to explore the possibilities of the U.S. military in space, and The National Reconnaissance Office, which used orbiting satellites to gain information on Russia and their allies (“Cold War …show more content…
was making a fair amount of progress, the Russians remained ahead. In 1959, Luna 2 became the first spacecraft to reach the moon; in 1961, Russia successfully sent the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into Earth’s orbit. Shortly after, NASA began project Mercury, in effort to send the first American into space (“The Space Race”). Research began with the testing of chimpanzees in space crafts, and after one final test flight, American Alan Shepard became the first astronaut from the country to successfully enter outer space (“Cold War History”). Following this event, current president, John F. Kennedy proclaimed that the “U.S. would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade” (“Cold War History”). In 1962, NASA’s Project Apollo was devised, and John Glenn became the first American sent into orbit, another crucial step in the process (“The Space
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