The Space Race During The Cold War

In the period after World War II, from the late 1940’s up until the 1990’s, the United States and their allies were engaged in a “cold” war with the Soviet Union and its allies. Except for minor proxy wars between countries supported by the respective sides, no major wars were fought between the U.S. and the USSR. Nonetheless, tensions were extremely high for many years and the two superpowers constantly went back and forth trying to best the other. Likely the most well-known of these competitions was the Space Race. Battling for cosmic supremacy from the late 1950’s to 1969, the two countries traded many victories over the years and pushed each other to their technological apexes.

The Space Race was a 20th century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States of America and the Soviet Union. This competition was held between 1955 until 1972 and enabled these two rivals to advance their ability of spaceflight and their exploration out of the Earth’s reach. The competition covered several ways in taking human life out of Earth’s orbit and to successfully bring them back home in the process. The Space Race brought about several controversial topics relating to how the USSR copied the methods conducted by the United States, how the United States retaliated against the USSR and the man landing was purposely staged or not. These factors contribute to a large extent on how the space race was won. The Space Race

While the Cold War and other conflicts on Earth continued, all was well in space. “We don’t seem to get along well with each other here on Earth, but we do quite well in Space.” (Livingston) The Space Race stimulated a desire to bring countries together and move forward in this new

During the Cold War, the United States and Russia had a severe space race between one another. Every time one country would be a step ahead of the other, and somehow one of the countries would catch up to the more advanced country at the time. During the early years of the space race, success was measured by what nation did what first: To the alarm of the United States, each of the early adventures were achieved by the Soviet Union. And all of those events triggered the United States to drive and catch up with to surpass the Soviet Union. This sort of see-saw method happen throughout the space race. Throughout this paper, there will be a discussion on the space race between the United Stated and

This investigation will explore the question: How did the US win the space race, and its impact on Modern Technology? The years 1945 to 1975 are the main area of focus in this investigation, as these years caused the build up to the space race. This investigation will compare the attitude and implementation approch between the two players –USA and USSR.

Space, the final frontier, was (and, for further exploration, remains) one of the most perplexing destinies to reach. Fatefully, the penetration of this frontier was a key constituent of a tense, prolonged political strife known as the Cold War. The aptly-named “war” brought great political rigidity and struggle following World War II; it delineated a time when the entire world greatly differed on ideologies, to the point of near catastrophe. Entire nations, continents, and eventually individual families deteriorated over polarizing political ideologies. This era spawned unforgettable conflicts; some post-McCarthy tensions still remain with older generations to this day. However, the most memorable battleground front came to be the multi-faceted, technological space race. During

Around the 50’s and 60’s, the United States and the Soviet Union had a “competition” called the Space Race. “They raced each other in achieving significant firsts in space”(Brigham). The Soviet Union beat the United States in the first satellite, first human in orbit, and the first space walk. But then, the United States stepped in with the first rendezvous in space, the first extension of mission durations in more than a week, and the first docking of space crafts. Later, the United states orbited the moon, and then the famous Apollo 11 mission was when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped foot on the moon.

After World War II came to a stop in the mid-20th century, a new rivalry began known as the Cold War. This battle sorrowed the world’s two great powers the democratic, capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union against each other. Beginning in the late 1950s, space would become another tense stage for this competition, as each side wanted to prove the superiority of its technology, its military firepower and by extension its political-economic system.

To begin with, the Space Race began all because of the Soviet Union and they kept pushing on to create and carry out with their objectives, meanwhile the United States was doing nothing. In an article, “United States-Soviet Cooperation during the Cold War” nasa.gov. Erika Vick, May 28, 2008. Web. , it says, “History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I.” In the late 1950’s they launched Sputnik I, which created the Space Race and it continued into the 1960’s, where the Soviet Union and the United States tried beating each other. If the Soviet Union started it, they should earn a little credit for giving the space science a tremendous advancement. For example, in an article by Global Security website, it says, “When communists were pressing for joint action in 1963, what it had meant was Soviet commitment to the policy of

After World War II drew to a close in the mid-20th century, a new conflict began. Known as the Cold War, this battle pitted the world’s two great powers–the democratic, capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union–against each other. Beginning in the late 1950s, space would become another dramatic arena for this competition, as each side sought to prove the superiority of its technology, its military firepower and–by extension–its political-economic system.

Since the launch of Sputnik 1, Russia and America continually compete against one another in the exploration of space. The idea of exploring a new frontier intrigued the citizens of both countries. The race to achieve the first successful launch into space created the institution of two independent space programs, the Soviet Space Program and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Since their origins, the agencies contrasted in mission procedures, construction, and view of space’s applications. Though the two programs ultimately amalgamated to further exploration and elevate productivity, Russia proves the victor as it dominates the gateway to space. The current application for Russia occurs with the retirement of the

One aspect of the Cold War was Space Developments. The Space Race was the rivalry between the two major superpowers, the United States and the Soviets, over Space Advances. They fought to show their supremacy over the other side, and to be recognized as the most advance nation in the world. NASA gave their utmost effort to achieving impossible (at the time) missions during the Space Race, but they encountered too many complications along the way. America’s slightly inferior technology slowed them down. By the late 1950’s, the Soviets were already ahead of the United States in Space Advances. They already launched Sputnik I, Sputnik II, and Sputnik III. (History.com)In response, on 1961, John F, Kennedy gave his well-known speech where he said

The tension that existed between the U.S. and Russia during the years after WWII was not only a time that both countries patiently tried to keep the world from another war, but was also a time of great rivalry in the exploration of space. As both counties diligently experimented with plans for creating a way to get into the vastness of space, spies on both sides were already in place to steal those ideas. And so the space race begun. Both countries wanted to be the first to succeed so millions were spent as the world watched as the U.S. and Russia went head to head in a battle that would change the world forever.

This paper will analyze the importance of the Apollo 11 mission. It will show how America learned that it could assert its technological superiority over the Russians and at the same time make a gesture of international and universal solidarity. This paper first will trace the background story of the Cold War and why a show of power in outer space was essential to the nations of Russia and of the United States. It will next examine the evolution of the space program in America. Then it will look at the Apollo 11 mission and explain the meaning and scope of its message to the world.

In 1957, the world as we know it would forever change with the launch of the Soviet engineered satellite Sputnik 1. The aftershocks of this huge achievement in world history rocked the United States and its people to the core, creating a great fear among citizens that the Soviet Union was technologically superior to America. At the time, this may have been true; however, Sputnik 1 led to a tremendous spike in US government funding towards space programs, such as NASA, exceeding nearly 25 billion dollars(100 billion dollars today) and consuming much of the government’s time and attention. The events preceding Sputnik’s christening have become known as the Space Race, and have turned into a superbly important time in modern history and research.