AIM: What Was the Space Race? DO NOW: If the U.S. and Russia were in a race to space, who do you think would win? Explain your answer using complete sentences.

The Space Race = The Cold War in the Skies The Space Race grew out of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the most powerful nations after World War II. For a half-century, the two superpowers competed to be # 1 in a global struggle pitting a democratic society against totalitarian communism. Beginning in the 1950’s the U.S and the Soviet Union competed for influence not only among the nations of the world, but in the skies as well. Space was a crucial arena for this rivalry. Before a watchful world, each side sought to demonstrate its superiority through impressive feats in rocketry and spaceflight.

Sputnik: The first traveler. The Soviet Union stunned the world with the launch of Sputnik ("satellite") on October 4, It became the first artificial satellite to successfully orbit the Earth. Sputnik signaled the U.S.S.R.'s capability in rocketry and their potential to dominate space. Americans felt they had fallen behind in science and technology, and the government poured money into science and education. By 1958, the United States had launched it’s own Satellite. Image of Sputnik satellite. Courtesy of NASA/JPL

Picture from The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was formed in 1958 in response to the build up of Russian space programs and the threat of their nuclear payloads in ICBM's.

For Americans, President Kennedy's declaration focused the Space Race on a clear goal: landing a man on the Moon before the Soviets. The Space Race became a race to the Moon. "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project...will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish...." President John F. Kennedy, 1961 Race to the Moon

The Space Race = The Cold War in the Skies The U.S. lands on the Moon In July, 1962, the U.S. sent astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, on the Moon, 1969