What Is The Negative Effects Of The Space Race?

October 5, 1957; this is the day that went down in history as the day the Space Race between the United States and the USSR began. On this day the USSR successfully launched the Sputnik satellite into orbit around the planet. Close to a month later the USSR launched the Sputnik 2 which held the first living organism to orbit the planet; Laika the dog. The series of events that followed brought change to the Cold War and to the world that could not have been foreseen in terms of international relations. During the Cold War the balance of power, globalization, perception, and nationalism all came into question, especially looking at the effects of the Space Race.
To begin the conversation, one should look at the balance of power and how that
Notably in the United States this shift had a negative impact on the sense of nationalism and the common perception of the country. The citizens of the United States were so used to being the most technologically advanced society that when the USSR launched their first satellite into orbit it shook the people. There was a heightened sense of worry about if the USSR will use their new abilities to send things to space to weaponize space. There was a concern that they would send missiles into the atmosphere to be aimed and shot at any nation they chose. It wasn’t until July, 1969 that the citizens experienced their nation in the lead and ultimately winning the race. This led to an uplift in nationalism, with people proud of what their nation had accomplished. In contrast, the USSR experienced an initial positive impact from leading the Space Race. Their country was suddenly the best of the best in terms of technology and even their biggest rival, the United States, was struggling to keep up with them as they advanced. These advancements led by the USSR greatly impacted their international holdings, especially their globalization
This treaty was signed by multiple powers, both in control of nuclear arms and not. The signing of the treaty assisted in the stemming of the spread of nuclear tech to nations that did not already have it as well as being a major success for arms control advocates.
As shown above, the Space Race had a major part in the international relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. It sparked tension and technological advancements in both nations and globally as well as shifting the balance of power drastically before being tipped again. It also led to some influential agreements being drafted in attempts to restrict arms in both nations and others like them. So while the Space Race may not, on the surface, be one of the more influential international incidents it did have a large impact underneath