The Space Race: The German Wernher Von Braun

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The Space Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union for technological superiority, but it began with the German Wernher von Braun. Von Braun worked to create the V2 rocket, which demonstrated the militaristic advantage of rocket technology. After World War 2 ended, Von Braun was taken by the Americans. Once the Cold War began the Russians build the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and they use it to launch Sputnik 1, the first satellite, into orbit, demonstrating the use of rocket for more than just carrying explosives. Rocket technology goes over many milestones and eventually the United States lands the first man on the moon. The Space Race continues until 1975 with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
The Space …show more content…
The American program, Operation Paperclip, brought over 1500 foreign scientists and engineers to America, including Von Braun. The soviet’s also attempted to capture as much military technology as possible. (Jacobsen 575) Although The Soviets would find that almost all the German engineers involved with the V-2 had surrendered to the Americans, including Wernher von Braun. As early as January 1945, Von Braun and others had prepared relocating to a area likely to be taken by the Americans. By May 1945 they were taken by American millitary forces.(Asif …show more content…
“The German scientists made a very valuable contribution to the Soviet missile program [;] however, it cannot be said that without the Germans the Soviet Union would have had no significant missile program .... There is no doubt that it took the German wartime success with guided missiles to cause Stalin and his colleagues to devote large scale support to the Soviet effort in this field. Once this support was forthcoming the use of German scientists permitted the Soviets to achieve results in u much shorter time than it would have taken them along but there is no reason to believe that the Soviets could not have eventually done the job by themselves.” (Asif p84)
With the Soviets focusing on rocket technology the progress in their rocket program was incredible. In four years the Soviets had almost completely left behind any trace of what they took from the German missile program. They began moving on to intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development. A rocket that would enable the beginning of the space race. (Asif 69)
In 1957 the Soviets missile engineers, led by Sergei Korolev, launched the R-7 rocket. On its first successful test, the rocket flew over 3700 miles, becoming the world’s first Intercontinental Ballistic
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