Space Race
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• For most of the
second half of the
20th century, a cold
war raged between
the world's two
superpowers.
• While battles were
never fought on either
country's land, plans
were made to take
the war into the high
frontier of outer
space.
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Space Race
• The Space Race was an informal
competition between the United
States and the Soviet Union that
lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975.
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• The Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev and the
American presidents
Dwight Eisenhower, John
Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson
and Richard Nixon all
agreed that conquering
outer space was very
important.
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• October 4, 1957 the Soviet
Union launched Sputnik, the first
artificial satellite, into orbit.
– Americans worried this would give
the USSR an advantage in space
and the Cold War
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Federal Aid to Education Increased
• University science programs grew.
• Federal aid to education increased.
• New industries and
technologies began.
• Technology, especially
in aerospace
engineering and
electronic communication,
advanced.
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• January 31, 1958, the U.S.
launched Explorer I, its first
satellite.
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Explorer I
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NASA
• On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower
signed the National Aeronautics and Space
Act of 1958 establishing the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) to conduct space research it began
operations October 1, 1958.
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• President Kennedy wanted to beat the
Soviets to the moon. On May 21, 1961,
speaking about the prospect of sending
astronauts to the moon, Kennedy said,
"…No single space project in this period will
be more impressive to mankind, or more
important for the long-range exploration of
space. And none will be so difficult or
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• 1959 The Soviet Union launches Luna II.
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• This is the first space probe to hit the
moon.
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First Russian
Cosmonaut
• April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri
A. Gagarin is first man in space
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First Woman
Cosmonaut
• 1963 The Soviet Union sent Soviet cosmonaut
Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in
space.
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First American
in Space
• Alan Shepard was one of the
Mercury astronauts named by
NASA in April 1959.
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• He was the first American to journey into space.
On May 5, 1961, Mercury
Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (top
right, headed to launch) blasted off
in his Freedom 7 capsule atop a
Mercury-Redstone rocket (top left).
His 15-minute sub-orbital flight
made him the first American in
space.
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Satellite communications
• The first American communications
satellite, Project SCORE, launched on
December 18,1958, relayed a Christmas
message from President Eisenhower to
the world.
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The Apollo Program Journey to the moon
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• July 20, 1969 U.S astronaut
Neil Armstrong is first man
to walk on moon
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• “That's one small step for (a) man, one giant
leap for mankind.”
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Apollo 11 crew portrait. Left to right are Neil
Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin
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On the Moon
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The trip back to Earth
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The July 17, 1975 rendezvous of the Apollo
and Soyuz spacecraft traditionally marks the
end of the Space Race.
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Joint Apollo-Soyuz
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• Today thousands of artificial satellites
orbit earth, relaying communications
data around the planet.
• Remote sensing of data on weather,
vegetation, and human movements to
nations who employ them is a result of
the Space Race.
Synthetic
aperture radar
image of
Death Valley
using colored
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polarimetry
• The micro-technology which fuels everyday
activities from time-keeping to enjoying music
comes from research during Space Race.
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• The U.S. became superior in electronics,
remote sensing, vehicle guidance, and
robotic control.
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Robotics in car factory
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The Space Shuttle
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Pair Share
• What event started the space race?
• What did the U.S. do to try to compete in the
space race?
• What is the name of the government agency
which carries out space programs?
• What is an example of how the space race has
affected your life?
• How are satellites used today?
• What was the first American satellite called?
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