Space Race
Andrew Lee
The primary author is the individual who drafted the first version of
this section; a section that could have been modified since it was
originally published.
The Cold War 1945
As World War II came to a close, a new conflict was
shaping up between America and the USSR. Its name
was the Cold War. The use of "cold" comes from the
fact that there wasn't live combat going on; just a very
dangerous stand off. Each side possessed very
destructive nuclear weapons and had the potential to
wipe each other off the map. Luckily, this did not have
to happen, and the war stayed "cold" preventing any
large-scale catastrophe. However, there was a
technological battle that ensued between the Soviets
and the U.S. This was largely spurred on after the
Russians launched Sputnik.
Launch of Sputnik 1957
In 1957, the Soviets launched a spacecraft that shocked America. It was named Sputnik; a 184-pound,
man-made satellite that successfully sailed around Earth. This was a pivotal advancement in the Space
Race. Prior to the launch of Sputnik 1, Americans thought very little of Soviet technology, but after this,
they began to question that belief. If the Russians could put a satellite in to orbit, what else can they do?
This caused a paradigm shift in the US and they started to prepare for a battle of supremacy. This led to
the creation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The U.S. Retaliates 1958
The US decided they needed something to compete with Sputnik. They tried to launch a satellite named
Vanguard on live TV in late 1957 and it dismally fell back to the launch pad after rising a mere four feet.
Finally, the next year they were able to get a satellite in orbit. On 31 January 1958, America launched
Explorer 1. Weighing only three pounds, it wasn't much to brag about, but it was still significant to the
space race. Explorer discovered what is now called the Van Allen Belt, a belt of charged particles trapped
in space.
Reprinted from College History
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Last updated on 8 November 2014
Photo Caption: Yuri Gagarin on cover of Time magazine, 21 April 1961.
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Yuri Gagarin goes to Space 1961
In 1961, the Soviets finally put a man in space. It was a long journey that took them to this point. First
they launched a ball, then a dog, then a monkey, before taking this step. The man aboard was Yuri
Gagarin. He was selected through a strict search process and was put into an elite training group known
as the Sochi Six. This group would be part of the Vostok program and from that program Gagarin was
selected to be the man to be launched into space. After Gagarin made his voyage on spacecraft Vostok
3KA, he became a national celebrity. People all around Russia admired him, noting his cheerful smile.
Obviously, this was a huge blow to America, and they needed to strike back somehow.
JFK Decides to Challenge the Soviets 1962
Thus far, in the Space Race, America was lagging behind. Russia had already launched Sputnik 1 and 2
and they were far better than Explorer. Eisenhower didn't take this technological face-off very seriously,
but this would change with John F. Kennedy became president. JFK understood the need to surpass
Soviet technology as a sign of national pride. He had a vision of how to do just this. In a speech he gave
at Rice University in 1962, he insisted that to defeat the Soviets we must land a man on the moon. In the
words of the president in a special message to Congress, "This nation should commit itself to achieving
the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."
Going to the moon was seen as insane, but it was just what America needed to secure a victory.
America Lands on the Moon 1969
After a rocky road of defeats, America won the Space Race. Eight years after Yuri Gagarin entered orbit
for the first time, John F. Kennedy's dream of putting a man on the moon was actualized. On July 16th,
1969, Apollo 11 left the Earth and landed on the moon. The spacecraft contained astronauts Neil
Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Broadcasted live on television, this was huge for America's
national pride. It was the final crowning achievement that proved technological superiority and it was
also a win for democracy.
Works Consulted
Ackland, Len, and Steven McGuire. Assessing the Nuclear Age: Selections from the Bulletin of the
Atomic Scientists. Chicago, IL: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, 1986. Print.
Bulletin of articles that talked about science-focused world affairs.
Reprinted from College History
http://www.collegehistory.info/modern/manuscripts/07-space-race.html
Last updated on 8 November 2014
Photo Caption: Yuri Gagarin on cover of Time magazine, 21 April 1961.
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Cadbury, Deborah. Space Race: The Epic Battle between America and the Soviet Union for Dominion
of Space. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Print.
This book is a comparison of the U.S. and Soviet space programs.
"Cold War Politics in The Space Race - National History Day." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 06 Oct.
2014.
Youtube video talking about the politics involved with the Space Race.
Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974 by Asif A. Siddiqi Review by:
rev. by David DeVorkin Isis, Vol. 96, No. 2 (June 2005), pp. 308-309.
Encyclopedic book cataloging the history of the space race.
D'Antonio, Michael. A Ball, a Dog, and a Monkey: 1957, the Space Race Begins. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2007. Print.
This book tells the story of America's first efforts to keep up with the Russians in the space race.
Dickson, Paul. "Sputnik's Impact on America." PBS. PBS, 06 Nov. 2007. Web. 04 Oct. 2014.
PBS article describing how Sputnik affected the US.
Dziewnowski, M. K., and M. K. Dziewanowski. Russia in the Twentieth Century. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice?Hall, 2002. Print.
This book is a comprehensive history of Russia in the later period of its history. It gave me some good info
on Yuri Gagarin.
Fontaine, André. History of the Cold War. New York: Pantheon, 1968. Print.
This book gives a record of the events of the cold war. It provides perspective on what happened before the
space race.
"Impact of U.S. and Soviet Space Programs on World Opinion," 7 July 1959. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct.
2014.
Article talking about the world's opinion of the Space Race.
Reprinted from College History
http://www.collegehistory.info/modern/manuscripts/07-space-race.html
Last updated on 8 November 2014
Photo Caption: Yuri Gagarin on cover of Time magazine, 21 April 1961.
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Kennedy, John F. "The Space Effort." John F. Kennedy's Speech. Rice Stadium, Rice University,
Houston. 12 Sept. 1962. President John F. Kennedy The Space Effort. Rice Webcast, 2003. Web.
16 Apr. 2010.
JFK's famous speech, rallying America to go to the moon.
Launius, Roger D. "Project Apollo: A Retrospective Analysis." History Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr.
2010.
An article discussing mission Apollo.
Moiseenko, Andrew. "Gagarin Was the Twelfth?" N.p., 11 July 2005. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Russian news article that examines if there was other men in space before Gagarin.
Newton, David E. U.S. and Soviet Space Programs: A Comparison. New York: Franklin Watts, 1988.
Print.
This book goes into detail on each nations specific space program.
Phelan, Dominic. Cold War Space Sleuths: The Untold Secrets of the Soviet Space Program. New York:
Springer, 2013. Print.
Book dealing with the Soviet side of the Space Race.
Schlesinger, Arthur. "Origins of the Cold War." Foreign Affairs (1967): 22-52.
Historical book describing the first stages of the Cold War.
Schwartz, Harry. "A Propaganda Triumph." NY TImes. N.p., 06 Oct. 1957. Web.
Original New York Times article from 1957 addressing the role of Propaganda in the Cold War.
Scott, David, and Alexei Leonov. Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race.
Macmillan, 2004.
The Space Race from the eyes of an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut.
Reprinted from College History
http://www.collegehistory.info/modern/manuscripts/07-space-race.html
Last updated on 8 November 2014
Photo Caption: Yuri Gagarin on cover of Time magazine, 21 April 1961.
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Space Center, Kansas Cosmosphere. "The Cosmosphere : Hall of Space Timeline." The Cosmosphere :
Hall of Space Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
In-depth timeline that goes through the stages of the Space Race.
" The Great Space Race." YouTube. YouTube, 04 Jan. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.
Youtube video talking about the technology used in the Space Race.
" The Space Race." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
History.com has a web page devoted to the space race. Divided into several categories with photos and a lot
of information about all the events that transpired.
"TheSpaceRace.com - Timeline of Space Exploration." Timeline of Space Exploration. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Sept. 2014.
Basic timeline of the space race.
" Space Race: 20th Century Timeline and |Firsts." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. |2014.
Youtube video describing the events that transpired during the space race.
Wheelon, Albert D., and Sidney N. Graybeal. "Intelligence For The Space Race." Studies in Intelligence
5.3 (1961): 4.
CIA document outlining the intelligence gathered for the Space Race.
Zolin, Olga. "A New Stage of Societ-British Political Cooperation." Congressional Quarterly: Weekly
Report 16.1 (1958). [Russian]
Russian article talking about international politics in the age of the Space Race.
Reprinted from College History
http://www.collegehistory.info/modern/manuscripts/07-space-race.html
Last updated on 8 November 2014
Photo Caption: Yuri Gagarin on cover of Time magazine, 21 April 1961.
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