Space+Race

=The Space Race=

During the period of 1955 to 1975, tension grew between the Soviet Union & the United States as they competed in what is now known as the “Space Race”. This was a battle between the two nations to become the leader in outer space technology & exploration, with the final goal of sending a human being onto the moon.

Origins


In the early 1930s & during WWII, Germany put a great deal of effort into creating //operational ballistic missiles// like the V-2 rocket, the first flying object able to travel at the speed of sound. After the war, both the US & the Soviet Union were eager to claim remaining missiles & more importantly the scientists that created them. Those collected would later become key players in rocket development & space technology in these two countries. As the relationship worsened between the communists & the western world, a competitive mentality began to grow. These two powers, specifically the US & the USSR constantly tried to come out above the other creating conflict & tension in regards to politics, economics & the military. This became known as the “Arms Race” spanning from 1947-1991. The US was on top in regards of lifestyle & economy & the USSR could not seem to rival this force. The Space Race spawned from this period as a technological component to this grand race.

The Beginning
The Space Race began in 1955 with public announcements by both the US & the Soviet Union, stating they would be creating artificial earth satellites that would be ready between 1957 & 1958. These statements were issued just four days apart showing a glimpse of the tight race that lay ahead. On October 4th of 1957, the first satellite, //Sputnik//, was launched into the atmosphere by the Russians. It didn’t have much purpose at the time as it seemed to just orbit around the earth while making a beeping sound. The Soviet Union however was intent on constantly reminding the world of their great feat, useful or not. To do this they polished the steel surface so that it would reflect light, making it visible around the world & allowed the beeping frequency to be picked up by armature radios. The US was both embarrassed by the invention & fearful of its capability as well as that of the Soviets. They had earlier attempted to release their own satellite but were not able to get it into orbit & the fact that the USSR had managed to succeed in this act was a major blow to their pride. As well, they were uneasy about having enemy technology floating above them & were concerned about the strength of rockets the Soviet had created. If they were powerful enough to launch a satellite into space, they would easily be able to launch an atomic bomb. Due to American outrage, President Eisenhower called for their own satellite project, known as Vanguard, to be sped up. It was yet another public failure but four months after the release of Sputnik, the US launched the //Juno 1// rocket, successfully thrusting their //Explorer 1// satellite into orbit.

The 1960s: Humans in Space
After the success of both Soviet & American satellites, a new goal rose for both teams. This time the rivals intended on sending humans into space & later onto the moon. Korolyov, the Russian scientist responsible for Sputnik, succeeded yet again for the Soviets. On April 12th, 1961, the //Vostok 1// was launched into orbit around the earth for 108 minutes with passenger Yuri Gagarin inside. Although this event was celebrated all over the world, the US was once again embarrassed. They achieved a similar mission three weeks later, sending a man named Alan Shepard into space but he was not able to orbit.

Race to the Moon
media type="youtube" key="oDtWnCSsBSQ" height="279" width="448" align="right"With America falling behind in the race, President John Kennedy began research into his countries space program, NASA which had been created in 1958. Growing tired of defeat, Kennedy announced support for the //Apollo program// aiming to land a man on the moon & return him to earth without harm. It seemed such an event was far enough in the future that the US could at last claim a “first” in space exploration. The USSR went on to make many more advancements in their space technology & achieve more impressive firsts but with the death of Korolyov in 1964, their production rapidly reduced & never truly regained what it once was. America however, was at last on track & stayed focused on its goal of landing on the moon. It launched “Project Gemini” which planned to carry out flights of the same duration as going to the moon & back & pick up useful information along the way. Although it took a year longer than planned, the US still managed to get ahead of the Soviet Union due to the loss of their head man. America achieved many space firsts with Gemini & also prepared astronauts for the later journey to the moon. The competition began to heat up in the late 1960s & both the east & the west began to pick up speed on their projects. Many problems arose with Apollo & the Soviet equivalent, Soyuz. This was likely due to the fast pace at which the teams were pressured to work & many lives were taken as a result of malfunctions. Extra time was taken & the problems were corrected by both groups, allowing movement to recommence. The Apollo project proved particularly successfully & carried out many missions without much conflict. The US had were at last ready to achieve their goal to space & on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin took those first steps on to the moon with an audience of about 500 million people, watching the event on live broadcast.

Soviet Response
The Soviets were upset with losing the race to the moon but decided to focus on another new goal to once again regain their position of space supremacy. This time they planned to create an orbital space station to aid further in research. They had momentary success when a station was launched & a crew stayed for a period of 22 days but on the return trip, the passengers were killed due to a faulty cabin pressure valve. They had further problems with other missions & it was again the Americans who successfully completed the task.

The End of the Race
In the mid 1970s, President Richard Nixon & Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev came to an agreement known as detente that eased the relations between the two superpowers. The nations tried to end the focus on competition & instead aim to work together. In 1975, the first joint American-Soviet mission was launched, marking the unofficial end to the space race.