Space Race

Other advantages?

Also, it is part of the spirit of human exploration and shows what humans can achieve. Significantly, this was a part of the Cold War which the USA won.

What did the astronauts go on to do?

Armstrong went to become a university lecturer, whereas Aldrin became somewhat of a celebrity.

How were astronauts and cosmonauts seen?

Astronauts came to be seen as the ultimate American heroes. Soviets, in turn, were pictured as the ultimate villains, with their massive, relentless efforts to surpass America and prove the power of the communist system.

What did the US do by landing on the moon?

By landing on the moon, the United States effectively "won" the space race that had begun with Sputnik's launch in 1957.

Did they continue?

Despite this the space programme continued and in 1968 Apollo 8 lapped the moon.

What did he Soviets do?

For their part, the Soviets made four failed attempts to launch a lunar landing craft between 1969 and 1972.

How did the public react?

From beginning to end, the American public's attention was captivated by the space race, and the various developments by the Soviet and U.S. space programs were heavily covered in the national media. This frenzy of interest was further encouraged by the new medium of television.

Negative aspects?

However, there is also negative significance. It had been argued that the money could have been spent on medical research, war, or poverty. It was not about science, it was about beating the Russians. The Space Race was not about science, it was about victory and heroes.

What did Kennedy announce?

In 1961 President Kennedy went to congress and announced that he wanted to be the first to put a man on the Moon and that they would do so within a decade. He felt this was important for the country and the western world.

What was their next achievement?

In May 1961, Alan Shepherd became the first American in space. Shepherd's craft did not orbit the Earth, however.

Second Russian success?

In November of the same year they launched Sputnik II, which contained Laika the dog.

Why were the Americans so far behind?

In Operation Paperclip, Van Braun was smuggled into the USA. He was a Nazi and member of the SS, he had used Jewish labour from the Dora concentration camp. This was extremely controversial and would not go down well with the American public.

What were the benefits of the space race?

It created 400, 000 jobs and many new inventions came from it. Examples of these are Kevlar, Teflon, and medical monitors.

How long did it take?

It took them three days to reach the moon.

What was the Cold War?

It was a battle over ideology. Important ideological differences separated the two countries, especially during the postwar years, when American foreign policy officials took it upon themselves to spread democracy across the globe. This goal conflicted drastically with the Russian revolutionaries' original desire to overthrow capitalism.

Next success?

It was not until February 20, 1962 when the first American, John Glenn, orbited the Earth.

When was their big success and who was involved?

On July 16, 1969, U.S. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins set off on the Apollo 11 space mission, the first lunar landing attempt.

What was the well-known thing that Armstrong did?

On July 20, 1969 the Eagle landed on the Moon. Neil Armstrong stepped outside and became the first man to walk on the Moon. With his first step on the Moon, Armstrong said "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".

When and what was the first Russian success?

On October 4, 1957 the Russians placed the first successful satellite into orbit. It was called Sputnik I.

What operation was used by America and what for?

Operation Paperclip was used by the USA to smuggle German scientists out of Europe and into the USA.

Where did the Russians reach first?

Peenemunde, the German research base on the Baltic coast, before the Americans.

How did the Americans try to catch up?

The Americans made an attempt to catch up with three programmes; Mercury Gemini, and Apollo.

Who was the Russian's top scientist and what was his situation?

The Russian's top scientist Korlev had spent 10 years in the Gulags for 'Anti-Soviet Behaviour'. However, he was released due his rocket expertise.

Third Russian success?

The Soviets again won the race for putting the first man into space. On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin was the first man to orbit the Earth in the spacecraft Vostok I.

Why was the Space Race important?

The Space Race was considered an important part of the Cold War it showed the world which country had the best science, technology, and economic system.

What happened when they returned?

The astronauts were placed in quarantine for fear that the Moon might contain undiscovered pathogens and that the astronauts might have been exposed to them during their Moon walks. However, after almost three weeks in confinement the astronauts were given a clean bill of health

How much did it cost?

The space race cost $35 billion, however Vietnam cost $110 billion.

Why is the space race significant?

The space race is significant due to it's role in the Cold War, a period of tension between the USA and USSR.

Why did this happen?

The wiring was poorly done further, the hatch door - intended to keep the astronauts and the atmosphere securely inside the spacecraft - turned out to be too tough to open under the unfortunate circumstances.

When did they launch their first satellite?

Their first satellite was launched in 1958.

What did they do on the Moon?

They explored the moon for over 20 hours, setting up experiments and collecting rock samples. They planted the US flag and a metal plaque, commemorating the landing.

Where did they land?

They returned to Earth and landed in the Pacific ocean.

What happened with the landing?

Upon arriving Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin moved to the Lunar module, called the Eagle, and began their descent to the Moon. There were some malfunctions and Armstrong had to land the module manually in the Sea of Tranquillity.

Who introduced the term?

Walter Lippmann, an American reporter and political commentator, was famous for being among the first to introduce the concept of Cold War.

What was revealed years later?

Years later, it was publicly revealed that Nixon had prepared a speech to be given in the event the Lunar Module had failed to lift off from the lunar surface, which would have resulted in Armstrong's and Aldrin's deaths.

What tragedy did they face?

in 1967 in US faced a tragedy when a flash fire swept through the Apollo 1 command module during a launch rehearsal test. The three men inside perished despite the best efforts of the ground crew.