In a time of separation and unrest, the United States needed to be a united front against a common enemy with a common goal. The United States used the technological advances in space exploration and the rivalry with the Soviet Union to unite the citizens when tension was great among them. Space exploration milestones that occurred in the 1960s were important to the sense of pride of United States citizens. The Atlas Program and the Apollo Program were major successes in the eyes of the United States and set them apart from their opponent in the space race, the Soviet Union. Space exploration was very important to the 1960s because amongst the chaos of the revolutionary decade, the government was still able to boost morale and restore people’s …show more content…
According to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, the space race began In 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite which the United States saw as a challenge to see who could make the most technological advancements within the following decade (Space Program).Shortly after the race began, the Soviet Union sent Yuri Gagarin into space, and he became the first man to Orbit the earth, the United States saw this as a sign that they were falling behind their competition (Space Program).The space race aimed to determine a superior nation between the United States and the Soviet Union, in the beginning the Soviet Union was clearly in the lead so the people of the United States were even more united with the common goal of being a superior nation. According to the National Cold War Exhibition at the Royal …show more content…
On February 20, 1962, the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission better known as the “Friendship 7” sent John Glenn Jr. into Space with the goal of being the first American to orbit the earth (Mercury) .The mission was successful with the spacecraft reaching an altitude of 162 statute miles, and an orbital velocity of 17,500 miles per hour (John). Even though it was not the first orbital mission of the world, the success of the Mercury-Atlas 6 Mission was a monumental achievement and gave Americans the reassurance that they were a contender in the race. The success of the mission inspired about two million government workers to share their skills for the future space flights (Friendship). The generosity of those people helped to send the next six piloted flights launch (Friendship). The Atlas program was inspiring and increased the pride of American citizens by getting them involved in the highly successful program. The program that put the U.S. back in the space race boosted the morale and national pride, and also encouraged the progression of space exploration for the
Afterwards, there were few well-known space shuttles like ‘Challenger’ and ‘Endeavor’. According to the research information, the success of many American space missions were actually relied on a majority of
Back in the late 50’s to the 60’s the United States were in a space race with the
After the US landed the Apollo on the moon, even the Soviets admitted defeat, that they were bested in the Space Race. With the adamant success of the Apollo space program, Soviets practically stopped their space development. There was no need to rush and take risks anymore. After all, the whole point of the Space Race was originally a bragging right showcasing science, technology and the strength of the determination of the people of the respective country. Unfortunately, the hectic and irresponsible tactics used on the Soviet side led to multiple deaths.
Also during this time the US and Russia were fighting to see who could get to space first. According to “Address at Rice University on the Nation’s Space Effort.” President Kennedy says, “We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.” Kennedy addresses the fact that Russia is threatening to use space as a huge weapon if they get there before us. Space was extremely unknown which caused a lot of people to have fear and anxiety especially with Russia making threats to use it as a
Each side attempted to prove the greatness of their political system. The U.S.S.R was the first to fuel the fire of the Space Race by launching their first rocket, Sputnik 1, in the year 1957. A month later, the U.S.S.R. sent Sputnik 2 into space, which sent the first animal into orbit. While the Soviet Union was making progress, the
The purpose of this speech is to get the USA motivated to charge forward in the scientific community mainly backing the Apollo program and show the Russians that our technology is far superior to theirs. The setting was September 12, 1962 during the height of the cold war and space race. The speaker demonstrates his credibility (ethos) by showing us his knowledge of scientific events that changed the world and scientific facts such as how fast objects reenter the atmosphere showing that he knows a few things about space and he should be trustworthy when it comes to policies regarding space. Kennedy demonstrates his Knowledge of the Mariner spacecraft by
This organization has helped improve foreign attitudes towards the United States. He wanted the United States to lead the way in space exploration. Prior to his presidency, the United States was always one step behind the Soviet Union in space endeavors. JFK increased spending on the space program in order to try and get ahead in the space race. He was the first president to ask Congress for money to help land an American man onto the moon.
Earlier in the day, on the 28th of January, 1986, the Challenger space shuttle had been launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This particular shuttle launch especially mattered to the American people, as one of the members aboard was an elementary school teacher, who was to be the first ever teacher in space. Millions of Americans tuned in to watch the launch, including millions of children, watching from their schools. The speech Reagan delivered was intended for the entirety of America, as so many people, of all ages, had witnessed the devastating event. Reagan’s words comforted and inspired America, and restored faith in NASA and the space
Everyone knows or has heard of the first time an American ‘Glenn’ orbited the earth on February 20 1962. But there were many things that happened in order for all of that to be pulled off. There were a lot of workers from NASA that put some effort into making that possible. When someone thinks of NASA, and who helped into sending the first American to orbit the earth, many of those who worked hard for this mission weren’t fully giving the recognition for it. When someone thinks about that mission many are going to think, ‘just some guys all working together for this’ but in reality it wasn’t just some guys.
The period between 1945 and 1989 saw significant advancements in both space travel and information technology, which revolutionized the way we explore space and conduct research. The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 marked the beginning of the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. Rapid advancements in rocketry and propulsion systems were made, ultimately resulting in the US landing the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Reusable spacecraft, such as the US Space Shuttle, made space travel more cost-effective and accessible. Additionally, many artificial satellites were launched for communication, imaging, and navigation purposes.
During Eisenhower’s presidency, there was a space-age race occurring between the United States and the Soviet Union. In an article by Yanek Mieczkowski, it discusses how, “In a critical Cold War moment, Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency suddenly changed when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first satellite.” At this point, America was losing in the space age race against the Soviet Union, which hurt Eisenhower and the United States’ pride. To earn an upper advantage with the space exploration, Eisenhower authorized the creation of NASA. On history.com’s website, it states that “He called the signing a [sic] historic step, further equipping the United States for leadership in the space age.”
The schools started changing; their curriculums became much stronger in math and science. It was more a goal to develop an engineer than attorney; it just really affected our schools.” From this quotation one can see that the space race influenced the education in the United States and changed it for the better. Bradt says, “Though Sputnik was a relatively simple satellite compared with the more complex machines to follow, its beeping signal from space galvanized the United States to enact reforms in science and engineering education so that the nation could regain technological ground it appeared to have lost to its Soviet rival” (Bradt). Although the Sputnik was not known to be technologically advanced it was the first thing to orbit the earth, it stunned people in the United States and caused an instant response.
Out of the selected choices we had to choose from I decided to research were the Space Exploration: Apollo missions. My motivation for this is that I’ve always been interested in outer space and when of my favorite shows on TV is called ancient aliens and it’s about pretty much ancient civilization being visited by other worldly astronauts or aliens. The motivation that lead to space exploration in the United States was born out of the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950’s. The United States that the Soviet Union was building rockets but in actuality they were sending satellites the first being Sputnik.
In October, the Soviet Union successfully launched the first artificial satellite into space, further concerning America. These events sparked America to improve its space program in order to also launch satellites, which formed a “space race” between the nations. During this time, NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was formed by President
The Space Race became an important part of the cultural and technological competition between the USSR and the United States during the Cold War. Space technology was used as a tool in the efforts of two countries to morally collapse each other before a possible hot war. C. Apollo 11 Against the clear supremacy that the Soviets had provided at the beginning of the Space Race, the United States sought a response. John F. Kennedy, sitting in the chair of the presidency in 1961, made it clear that he would attach significance to space studies throughout the election campaign.