What was the space race? It was a competition to see which of the two nations could advance the fastest in aeronautics. It started in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite. It was called Sputnik. Both the United States and the Soviet Union leaders believed that conquering …show more content…
One of which was a Russian named Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. He established the basics of rocket science. He made a rocket equation which determines the velocity of flight. That equation is still used today in modern rockets. Along with that, he also wrote the first theoretical description of an artificial satellite. The Germans also made a rocket called the A-4 rocket. It was first launched in 1942 and was the first rocket to reach space. It was also able to carry 2,200 lbs of weight. Even though it was made for use in the military, the technology behind made it useful to develop shuttles and rockets to reach the moon. The Cold War was a big event that led to the space race. The United States came out of World War II with a huge amount of strategic bomber force and also had advanced bases in countries that were close to the Soviet Union. Since the Soviet Union did not have equal amount weapons and bases, they started producing rockets and ballistic missiles capable of intercontinental range. They made this a top priority for them. The development in rockets had a dual purpose. If they could make a rocket to reach the moon, said rocket could also be used to carry an atomic bomb to a specific city. Thus, the advancements in rockets could be used peacefully or they could be used for military