1. Space Race

2. International Geophysical Year
In 1952, the International Council of Scientific Unions decided to establish July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958, as the International Geophysical Year (IGY) because the scientists knew that the cycles of solar activity would be at a high point then.

3. International Geophysical Year
In July 1955, the White House announced plans to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite for the IGY.
USA had the U-2 Spy Plane and was not initially worried about a Soviet advance into space.
The Sputnik launch changed American Plans.

4. Sputnik
October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I.
The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball.
It took 98 minutes to orbit the earth.
Its launch marked the start of the space race.

5. Sputnik
Sputnik surprised the world and caught the Americans off guard.
With the launch, Americans feared Soviet missile capabilities.
One month later, Sputnik II was launched, carrying a dog named Laika.
Laika was killed in the process.
Stelka and Belka were aboard Sputnik 5. Stelka later had puppies, one of which (Pushinka) was given to the family of President Kennedy by Nikita Khrushchev.

6. America Reacts
January 31, 1958, US launches Explorer I—discovers the Van Allen radiation belt.
March 17, 1958, US launches Vanguard I—establishes that the earth is pear shaped.
July 29, 1958—NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was established.

7. Men (and Women) in Space
Yuri Gagarin—April 12, 1961
First Person in Space and Orbit
Alan Shepard—May 5, 1961
First American in Space
John Glenn—Feb. 20, 1962
First American to orbit the earth
Valentina Tereshkova—June 16, 1963
First Woman in Space

8. American Space Program
Project Mercury ( )
Mission: One-man crew
Project Gemini ( )
Mission: Two-man crew, extra-vehicular activity (space walks)
Project Apollo ( )
Mission: Three-man crew to the moon

9. The Moon
Mercury and Gemini programs readied astronauts and technologies, and built up the American space program.
Apollo 8—first lunar orbit Dec. 21, 1968
Apollo 11—first landing on July 20, 1969
Apollo 17—last lunar landing Dec. 1972

10. End of the Race Cold War Thaws—Détente 1970s
Joint Mission: Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, July 1975
3 American Astronauts
2 Soviet Cosmonauts

11. End of the Race Space Stations Space Shuttles Satellites
International Cooperation
Space Shuttles
Satellites
Commercial, Military, Private, etc.
Communications, Navigation, Information, Surveillance, etc.

12. Space Race: 1957-1975 Soviet Union- United States-
First Satellite in orbit
First Dog in space
First man is space
First Woman in Space
3 Cosmonauts Killed in spaceflight
Second Man in space
First chimpanzee in space
First Man on moon
$24 Billion in 1970s dollars