Preview

Sputnik During The Space Race

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
83 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sputnik During The Space Race
How did Americans react to the launch of Sputnik I and the Soviet Union during the space race? On October 4, 1957, America’s fears went into orbit as the Soviet Union launched its first artificial Earth satellite into space. This was quickly followed by Sputnik II, famously containing a canine passenger, Laika, and was then dramatically surpassed by the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. The US, in contrast, failed to respond effectively taking several attempts before launching its own
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Soviet Space Race Compared to Animal Farm
    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Soviet Space Race Compared to Animal Farm

    By 1959 the U.S. began to grow more sure that the Soviets would be the first to send someone into space and they were right. As the Soviet flight technology was…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Space Race Project 1

    • 542 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Space Race Project 1

    One of the ways the two superpowers competed was the Space Race. The Space Race was initiated on October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union, when they launched Sputnik 1. The launch caused a huge shock to the United States.…

    • 542 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Vanguard Project History
    • 2257 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Vanguard Project History

    Lyndon B. Johnson, Senate preparedness Subcommittee chairman, immediately began a “full, complete, and exhaustive inquiry into the state of the nation’s satellite and missile efforts (Lyndon B. Johnson quoted in Vanguard – A History).” The Vanguard project had received ultimate priority in military initiatives and, as a result, received a needed boost in men, materials, and money. This drastic increase in effort on the part of everyone involved had culminated in greater testing and development of Vanguard project rockets. Despite multiple failures throughout 1957 and 1958, their efforts culminated in a successful launch on January 31st, 1958. Explorer 1 left the launch pad at cape Canaveral and, at last, the United States had proven their worth in space exploration (Office of the Historian). Despite their eventual success, the political ramifications of “losing” the first milestone of the space race were lasting. The United States had developed newfound conviction in the space race, now aware of their adversaries’ potential; additionally, the creation of NASA had cemented space exploration’s place in the US government and budget. The United States’ delayed reaction, only prioritizing space exploration after the Soviet display of their technology, highlighted the competitive nature of the nation. Had the Soviets not succeeded…

    • 2257 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The Post Nuclear War Affect American Culture In The 1960s
    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did The Post Nuclear War Affect American Culture In The 1960s

    By 1960 fears of nuclear war, Soviet advances in space exploration and technology, And a persistent recession at home. Generally a 1960 the American public have lost their confidence and seemed to have lost their way as well. This sense of lacking is something that John F Kennedy made Central to his 1960 campaign for president. By October 1957 Sputnik, a Soviet satellite was launched. One month later the Soviets launched another satellite carrying a small dog, the first living creature to to leave the Earth's atmosphere. Abroad these Soviet advances seemed to erode America's status and the value of American capitalism. Thirdly Soviet success with the intercontinental ballistic missiles, (ICBM), negatively affected American national pride as well as created fear that the Soviets…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Space Race Research Paper
    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Space Race Research Paper

    That same year President Eisenhower signed the public order which created the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). After the creation of NASA the Space Race would continue to heat up when the Soviet space program launched Luna 2 which was the first space probe to hit the moon. As if that accomplishment wasn’t enough the Soviet continued to soar forward in Space exploration being the first country to send the first person to orbit the Earth. This was done so in a capsule-like spacecraft known as Vostok 1. The United States could not just sit back and be out done, so with much effort they build a smaller, cone-shaped capsule that was found to be far lighter than Vostok. This capsule would be used to test and conduct Project Mercury, an American name for the efforts to send a man into space. The U.S. used chimpanzees to test the space craft, and made one final test in March of 1961. On May 5, 1961 Alan Shepard became the first American in space. Later that same month President John F. Kennedy decided to make a bold and powerful statement which would claim that the U.S. would land…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Neil Armstrong Walk On The Moon Analysis
    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Neil Armstrong Walk On The Moon Analysis

    Understanding the history of Neil Armstrong’s Moon walk is not complete without reference to the Cold War and the Soviet space achievements which ran parallel to those of the United States. The Cold War was the catalyst that would turn the highly speculative and romanticized vision of space travel into an unquestionable reality. Competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was fierce. The two world superpowers were engaged in a race to see who would be able to successfully send their men to walk across the surface of the Moon first. The USSR’s launch of the Sputnik sattellite, and Laika the dog in 1957 marked the beginnings of the Space Race. The U.S. quickly countered in 1958 by sending satellites of it’s own, the Explorer and Vanguard and organizing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In effect, the Soviet Union would set the bar for which the United States would aim to surpass. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin of the USSR became the first man to orbit the earth. This was also the year of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, when he commits the United States to the goal of landing the first man on the moon before the completion of the decade. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, it became unclear whether this task would be possible for the country to reach.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Space Race Research Paper
    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Space Race Research Paper

    During the time right after the cold war, the United States and the Soviet Union became engaged in a “Space Race” to see which country could get a man on the moon first and ultimately claim space for their nation. The Soviet Union led the way by sending the first satellite into space and then the first human. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first human to go into space and make a complete orbit around the earth. Yuri was a Russian Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He became an international celebrity over night. He returned to earth as a national hero in his country. His flight is still the shortest flight, 108 minutes from launch to landing. Although Yuri moved up the ranks in the Soviet Air Force, he was banned from the space program.…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Truman's Plan Of Containment During The Cold War
    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Truman's Plan Of Containment During The Cold War

    race, the Soviets were beating the The U.S. badly. In 1958, the U.S. launched its first…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Supremacy In The Space Race
    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page

    Supremacy In The Space Race

    The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was one of the greatest rivalries of the 20th century. From 1955 to 1972, these two superpowers battled each other for supremacy in space flight technologies, with each country launching multiple satellites and manned missions into space. Their ultimate goal was to put a man on the moon. The 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Soviets had an immense effect on the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The launch proved that Eisenhower lacked leadership skills. He could not prove to his fellow Republicans in congress that space travel should be a top priority of the country. Democrats believed that not enough funding had gone into national defense and that the Soviet satellite…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Space Race: Competition Between The United States And The Soviet Union
    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Space Race: Competition Between The United States And The Soviet Union

    The ‘Space Race’ was an unofficial competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, the focus of which was space exploration. It began after World War II, in the mid-1950s, when Russia launched a satellite into space. After this, the race was on between America and Russia to gain as much ground in space as possible. The Space Race began in 1955, when both the United States and the Soviet Union announced they would be launching artificial satellites into space.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Technological Advancements: The Space Age
    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Technological Advancements: The Space Age

    The space race was a competition between both super power countries in a contest on who can have the best technology. It was triggered off when Sputnik was launched into space by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 1957 by the Soviets. So at the time, this was considered a shock due to at the period technology wasn’t as effective and making it into space was…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Effect Of Sputnik On America
    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Effect Of Sputnik On America

    1. Sputnik affected Americans because the idea was that if Soviet's could launch satellites into space, they could launch nuclear bombs into space. This scared many Americans.…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Space Race During The Cold War
    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Space Race During The Cold War

    The cold war led to the success of America during the space race. “The competitive nature of the Nations involved in space exploration.” (Dictionary.com) that is the definition of the Space race that occurred from 1957-1975. The United States and the Soviet Union were the two Nations that competed in the race, Space became another dramatic arena for the competition, as each side competed to prove the power of their technology, their military firepower and by extension their political-economic system.…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Space Race
    • 1485 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Space Race

    During the late 1950s to the mid 1970s, the US and the Soviet Union, the two Cold War rivals, engaged in a Space Race, a fierce competition for supremacy in spaceflight capability. The Soviet Union achieved an early lead in the Space Race by launching the first artificial satellite into the space with Sputnik 1. The United States quickly followed suit three months later with the launch of Explorer 1. Unsatisfied with being the second to reach space, President John F. Kennedy set his sights for a much higher goal: the Moon. In 1961, President Kennedy announced a national goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Eight years later, the goal was actualized with the Apollo 11 mission. In the years between, there were copious technological…

    • 1485 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Space Race
    • 768 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Space Race

    On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space, The Sputnik I. This was detrimental to the U.S. because it meant that they were losing the space race. The Soviets showed the U.S. that they now had the capability to launch satellites and nuclear warheads into space. America quickly answered back with the launch of Explorer I, which was the first American made satellite to orbit around Earth. This achievement by the U.S. led Eisenhower to form the National Aeronautics and Space Admission (NASA). The organization was founded to study and build space exploration vehicles and scientific experiments. Soon after the formation of NASA, the Soviets launched the first man into the orbit of Earth, heating up the space race. Nearly a month later, NASA launched Alan Shepard into space, making him the second man to exit Earth’s atmosphere.…

    • 768 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics