Sputnik : The Cold War

The launch of the Sputnik had such a big impact on America because “America thought of themselves as the world’s technological leaders” (Richerme 35). Also “the Soviets, after all, were not supposed to be good at technology” (DeGroot 3). This scared America and brought them into a big crisis or as some call a race. This race was known as the space race and it was a very long and twisted path that it bared on its shoulders.

The Space Race was one of the biggest rivalries between America and the Soviet Union in the 1950’s to the 1970’s. The Space Race was part of something bigger, the Cold War. The Cold War was a time of political and military tension after World War 2, between different powers all over the world, but mainly between the U.S and the Soviet Russia. When people think of the Cold War, one of the many things that come to mind is the Space Race. In this essay I will write mainly about the Space Race and how both countries spent time and money building rockets and other devices. I will also talk about the steps it took to make it to the Moon. And lastly, the effects it had on American politics.

In September of 1957, the Soviet Union began testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBM’s, due to the Cold War and to show their technological advances leasing to the Space Race. The United States knew that the Soviets had the capability of building these missiles, but didn’t think they actually could (Barbree). Then on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite known by the name of Sputnik, and sent the United States into a frenzy. Sputnik impacted the United States socially, politically, and economically.

After WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies engaged in a series of political, economic, military and technological competitions collectively known as the Cold War, which ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. One product of the Cold War, in particular, is of unique interest: the Space Race. Initially, the Space Race seemed to be extensions of U.S. and Soviet military programs; it then transformed into a technological and political competition between the two aforementioned countries; eventually, the Space Race transcended the concept of competition, and became an international effort of space exploration, and especially, a means for the U.S. and USSR to make amends to their broken relationships.

After the World War II, another conflict began. Known as the Cold war, the cold war was a conflict between the world’s strongest nations: democratic capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union. Both had different ideas about economic and government and is what let to the start of the cold war. Space was among the Cold War, and became a dramatic matter during the nineteen fifty’s. Space was “sough to prove the superiority of its

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."- Neil Armstrong. On October 4, 1957, 7:28 PM life changed in the United States and Russia because of the launch of sputnik the first man-made object to orbit the earth. The space race wasn't just a race to space, but a Continuum of the Cold War and a competition to see who the better country was really was. The US always felt that their technology exceeded everyone else’s, but on the day of October 4, they were proven wrong; the Soviets were on top. The launch of Sputnik was a huge success, but Dwight Eisenhower would try to downplay it to avoid accepting defeat. The United States would put 400,000 people to work on the project. This is the first time the US had embarked on such on

During 1947 and 1991 the United States and the USSR were at war with each other, not really a bloodshed fight but more of political arguments, nuclear threat, and seeing which country was more advanced than the other. This is why the war was dubbed the “Cold War” cause there really wasn’t any fighting but more to see who could gain more international prestige. On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched a satellite gaining a huge lead in what was known as the “Space Race”. The Space Race was between the Soviets and America basically seeing who had the better technology and reach the stars before the other could, but the satellite the Soviets launched was named Sputnik 1. Sputnik is the world’s first artificial satellite to be launched into

The Sputnik satellite traveling through Earth’s lower orbit shocked America that October day in 1957. Many reactions ranged from anxious and hysteric to indifferent or even unsatisfied about the situation as a whole, but the event did raise valid questions. The general consensus became why did the Soviet Union launch a satellite into orbit before the United States? Many believed the U.S. was the dominant superpower in the technology arena but were caught off guard when the Soviet Union beat the U.S. to the chase. Americans questioned the intentions and potential uses of satellites and what this new technology could bring for the future.

The Apollo-Soyuz mission was the first time that each nation combined their efforts, in reality it was to show an easing of tension between the two superpowers (détente). This mission became the foundation of other joint missions like the Shuttle-Mir, resulting in ongoing missions to the International Space Station. While, the easing of political tensions may not be directly attributed to Sputnik. Unknowingly the launch influenced our political views on space from military peaceful purposes and creating changes in the space program which affected our

The Cold War is the term used to describe the intense rivalry between the United States and its allies and the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics and its allies. The Soviet Union and its allies were refereed to as the Eastern Bloc and the United States and its allies were referred to as the Western Bloc. The Cold War period lasted from the mid-1940’s until the late 1980’s. During this period international politics were shaped by this intense rivalry between this two great blocs of power and the political ideologies they represented. The United States and its allies represented democracy and capitalism while the Soviet Union and its allies represented communism. The Cold War was truly a global conflict more

Interplanetary investigation helped as another melodramatic showground for Cold War race. In October 4.1957 a Russian R-7 large-scale ballistic missile hurled Sputnik (Russian for traveler). The world’s 1st non-natural satellite and first artificial item to be sited into the Earth’s path. Sputnik’s launch originated as an amazement, and not a pleasing one for to most Americans. In the U.S universe was grasped as the afterward border, a reasonable postponement of the splendid American practice of assessment and it seems as was critical not to fail too much ground to the Russians. In accumulation, this protest march of the crushing power of the R-7 missile apparently accomplished of carrying a nuclear weapon into United States. Inflight planetary

The Soviet Union introduces the Space Age with its dispatch of Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. The shuttle was named Sputnik after the Russian word for "satellite.” Sputnik had a distance across of 22 inches, weighed 184 pounds and circled Earth every hour and a half. Going at 18,000 miles 60 minutes, its curved circle had an apogee (most distant point from Earth) of 584 miles and a perigee (closest point) of 143 miles. Unnoticeable with binoculars before dawn or after dusk, Sputnik transmitted radio signals back to Earth sufficiently solid to be grabbed by novice radio administrators. Those in the United States with access to such gear tuned in and listened in awe as the beeping Soviet rocket passed America a few times each

On October 7, 1957, the Space Age had officially began. The USSR sent a satellite, ‘Sputnik’, into orbit around Earth(History.com-soviet union launches sputnik). The journey lasted less than 100 minutes, but it was a landmark occasion nonetheless and the Soviet Union had sent a message to the capitalist world. On the satellite ‘Sputnik’ was a radio transmitter which allowed Soviet scientists to track it as it orbited the Earth. This signal

On October 4th, 1957 the Soviet Union launched a metal sphere, called Sputnik, that intermittently transmitted a radio signal, into orbit. This event does not seem very impressive now, but when it happened it had a massive political and psychological effect. It spawned the idea that the United States might be eclipsed by another world power in technological might and proved that the Soviet Union could make a missile that could reach the United States. As part of a broad response to this event the United States government created the Advanced Research Projects Agency, ARPA for short, which is now known as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA. The mission of this new agency was “to foster advanced technologies and systems that create “revolutionary” advantages for the U.S. military” (Van Atta 20). Much of this advanced technology eventually made its way to the civilian market. Without Sputnik, technology that most people living in modern countries take for granted, such as the Global Positioning System, the Internet, and modern computer operating systems, would, possibly, not exist yet.

The Sputnik scare. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first manmade satellite into orbit. The satellite, known as Sputnik, did not do much other than send radio waves from its transmitters as it circled the Earth. Yet, to many Americans, Sputnik was evidence of something alarming. The Soviets’ success suggested that they might be capable of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles and they were ahead of the United States in scientific and military technology. In response, the federal government formed new agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), to develop cutting-edge technologies such as rockets, weapons and computers (Moschovitis et al. 1999: 39).