Space Race Between the Soviet Union and the United States

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The Space Race

Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States

Abstract

During the time that the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in October 1957, it also launched the space race. Due to the Soviet Union and the United States were wrapped up in the Cold War the relations between the two were very tense. The United States felt obligated to prove democracy superior to communism in every aspect, and the Soviet Union sought to prove the opposite. The space race was the arena that both governments could use to prove the political superiority of their state. The Cold War and its tensions would prove to be a catalyst for many events within the space race and vice versa. Both design teams for the Soviet Union and United States focused on creating a rocket with enough power to exit the atmosphere carrying a missile along with it. Within both nations divisions there were many scientists with the hope of using the rockets to place a spacecraft into orbit.

Introduction

The Cold War’s political and military rivalry was matched by the Space Race. From mid-1950s to 1975, the United States and Soviet Union struggled to outdo each other in space exploration technology and milestones. They both spent millions developing space-capable rockets, artificial satellites into orbit, designing and building orbiter ships, training astronauts, launching manned space missions, and attempting not only to land men on the moon but also bringing them home safely. Unlike the Cold War the Space Race was accompanied by extensive media coverage on the ground breaking inventions. Even though both parties claimed to be ahead of the other however, over time their victories were evenly shared.

Research Report

After the War it was evident that there were two nations interested in developing military technology. Both countries had captured V@ rockets and also some of the developers of the rockets from Germany after the war (Schefter, 11). Since the German scientists were able to help both the Soviet Union and the United States they were interested in developing intercontinental ballistic missiles. These missiles would have the ability to hit any location on Earth, but in order to do so they had to exit the atmosphere (Levine, 6). They focused on creating a rocket with enough power to exit the atmosphere carrying a missile along with it. Both nations created a strong rocket division, and within those divisions there were many scientists that planned on using the rockets to place a spacecraft into orbit.

October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 missile launched Sputnik; this was the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the orbit. American’s were not pleased on Sputnik’s lunch and it came as a surprise. The United States attempted to answer Sputnik with their own satellite they called Vanguard. The satellite never made it off the launch pad, instead of rocketing into orbit it did not rise fast enough and fell over and burned (Schefter, 45). The United States space was seen as the next frontier of the grand American tradition of exploration, and it was crucial not to lose ground to the Soviets. The demonstration of the power of the R-7 missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead into U.S. air space made gathering intelligence about Soviet military activities urgent. In 1958, the U.S. launched the satellite, Explorer 1, designed by the U.S. Army under the direction of scientist Wernher von Braun. It was that same year; President Dwight Eisenhower signed a public order creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The Soviets were able to launch Sputnik 2 which sent the first living being into space. On March 26, 1957 a dog named Laika entered into orbit and survived seven days in space before her oxygen supply ran out. Since the Soviets had successfully launched Sputnik and Sputnik 2 they had took command of the space race.

The space race was going strong by mid 1958.  The Soviets and United States had attempted to put 14 satellites into orbit of those six of them were a success. The Americans had agreed to announce not only there successful missions but also their failures whereas the Soviets kept their failures a secret. Due to the lack of information that the Soviets supplied it seemed as if the Soviet program seemed perfect and the American program looked flawed.  Around this time the Army, Air Force, and Navy competed for control over the American space program. President Eisenhower decided to choose the best people from each branch to develop a strong space program (NASA) (Schefter, 47). NASA’s initial goal was to put a man in space, and was determined to accomplish this prior to the Russians.  

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