The Successes And Failures Of The Space Race

Soon after the Cold War came to an end, the United States and the USSR both began military technological advancements. If the USSR could get missiles into space, they could set them off at anyone anywhere. In the interest of protecting America and possibly the rest of the world, the main objective for the Space Race was to protect us against missiles from the USSR military. These advancements led to a competition between the US and the USSR to see who would be the first to space. America and the USSR were two of the most powerful countries in the entire world at that point in time.

It influenced Canadian citizens’ lives a lot, simulating the cooperations with other counties and it also benefited the world a lot as well. Innovations could bring people a better life. Indeed, the high-tech products and new technology coming from the Space Race period did make the Canadian people’s

The Long-Term Implications of the Space Race on the US Economy AP Seminar 18 January 2023 Word Count: 1216 Introduction The space race was a time of fierce rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both were trying to get the upper hand on space exploration and technological advances. It lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s and was a representation of the more significant Cold War between the two nations. The Space Race greatly impacted the US economy and shaped it into how it is today.

The extent of this competition can be seen with the space race. The space race consisted of several iconic moments such as the Soviet Union launching Sputnik I, the first satellite in space. The most significant moment of this technological contest would occur at the end of the race when the United States put the first men on the moon. The 1969 photo, simply titled “The Apollo 11 Photograph” shows this moment as Buzz Aldrin stands on the moon with the black void of space behind him. The significance can clearly be seen in the fact that this mission was the first time anybody had stepped foot on the

According to the Congressional Digest on “NASA History,” “During this period, space exploration emerged as a major area of contest and became known as the Space Race.” The Space Race was a nearly twenty year process between 1957 and 1975. During this time there was a constant battle between the two countries over who would be the first to send satellites into space. The first manmade object sent to space was Sputnik I, by the Soviet Union.

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 Space Race had a great impact on the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the end of World War II the United States and the Soviet Union became two of the most powerful and influential nations in the world. The amount of influence these two countries held led to many conflicts. Since these countries had different ideas it caused them to enter the Cold War in 1947 (Schlesinger, 1967). While the Cold War was going on, the Space Race became another aspect of this competition.

What is new in the space travel world? Two article excerpts by author Cameron Keady “A Success in Space” and “America’s New Spacecraft” describe two space crafts with very different missions. The purpose of this essay is to explain the purpose of each mission and then argue which mission was the more successful. The first mission, as described in “A Success in Space,” used a small probe called the Philae lander, which had been dropped by Rosetta, a much larger craft that had been traveling 10 years prior to the drop of Philae.

When the US heard of this they were shocked and began to expedite their efforts to go to space thus starting the Apollo missions. The Apollo missions began in the 1960s as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was directly competing with the SSP (Soviet Space Program). With a team of hundreds of scientists, the Apollo missions were successful in the

"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. " This well known quote by the renowned astronaut Neil Armstrong forever marked the beginning of a new age as the Space Race came to its final chapter. The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era was a pivotal period in the history of space exploration, where these two global superpowers aim to compete for technological superiority in military and space. While both the United States and the Soviet Union gained significant benefits from the Space Race in terms of technological advancements, scientific discoveries, and national prestige, the United States emerged as the primary beneficiary due to its long-lasting impact on space exploration and technological innovation.

The race continued until 1969 when Niel Armstrong set foot on the moon (Seedhouse 128). The first satellite the Soviet Union launched into orbit was called Sputnik and it came as an unpleasant surprise to many Americans (“The Space Race”). Historians argue that the Soviet Union won the space race on October 4 1957 with the launch of Sputnik, but most agree it was just the start to the race (Seedhouse 128). After the launch of Sputnik the United States launched their own satellite in 1958 called explorer 1 which was designed by the United States army. The race began to heat up and the Soviet Union launched Luna 2 which became the first space probe to hit the moon (“The Space Race”).

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.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, was founded in 1958 shortly after this spark of exploration. NASA was the organization in the United States dedicated to research and exploration of space. NASA had many different programs throughout the race such as the Project Gemini, Project Mercury, and Project Apollo. These were some of the names of the projects that had specific goals in the race. All of these programs aimed to complete one of the firsts of space travel before the Soviet Union could.

In the text, “Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost?” the author, Joan Vernikos, discusses the advancements in technology, due to space exploration. According to Vernikos, “Observing Earth has provided G.P.S., meteorological forecasts, predictions and management of hurricanes and other natural disasters, and global monitoring of the environment, as well as surveillance and intelligence” (Vernikos 65). This proves that space exploration has led to countless new inventions that are used in everyday life. This is significant because without all these innovative ideas space has inspired, life would be more challenging.

Russia accomplished many of the milestones in the beginning but the US prevailed when they successfully landed a man on the moon on July twentieth, nineteen-sixty-nine. This moon landing marked the ending to a twenty year "Space Race" against the Soviet Union, which would end up costing America over thirty billion dollars. Because of the enormous price tag and the twenty years of attempts filled with multiple failures, many Americans both present and past have questioned whether or not the Space Race was worth the absorbent resources it took, especially when America could've focused on other things such as the inequality of African Americans and the movement towards equality.