What is Space Race? | The Cold War

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union held a contest to determine who had the best technology in space. This includes events like who can put the first manned spacecraft into orbit and who will be the first to walk on the Moon. The space race is considered important because it shows the world which countries have the best science, technology and economic systems.

The Race Begins

After World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union recognized the importance of missile research to the military. They used to recruit top German rocket scientists to support their research. Soon both sides made advances in rocket technology.

The space race began in 1955 when the two countries announced that they would soon launch satellites into orbit. The Soviet Union saw the American announcement as a challenge and even formed a commission with the goal of defeating the United States by sending a satellite into space.

On October 4, 1957, the Russians successfully launched the first satellite into orbit. It’s called Sputnik I. The Russians took the lead in the Space Race. The Americans successfully launched their first satellite four months later called Explorer I.

The First Man in Orbit

The Soviet Union once again won the race to send the first man into space. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit Earth in the Vostok I spacecraft. Three weeks later, the United States launched Freedom 7 and astronaut Alan Shepherd became the first American to fly into space. . However, the Shepherd’s ship does not orbit the Earth. Almost a year later, on February 20, 1962, when the first American, John Glenn, orbited Earth aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft.

Race to the Moon

Americans feel ashamed to stand behind the Space Race. In 1961, President Kennedy went to Congress and announced that he wanted to be the first man to put a man on the Moon. He felt it was important to the country and to the Western world. The Apollo Moon Program is launched.

The Gemini Program

Together with the Apollo program, the United States launched the Gemini program to develop technology for use on the Apollo spacecraft. Under the Gemini program, Americans learned how to change the orbits of spacecraft, spent a lot of time in orbit figuring out how the human body would be affected, brought two spacecraft together into one. day in space and also performed the first spacewalk. of a spaceship.

Man on the Moon

After years of testing, flight testing and training, the Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched into space on July 16, 1969. The crew included astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. The trip to the Moon took three days.

Upon arrival, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin moved to the lunar module, known as the Eagle, and began landing on the Moon. There were some problems and Armstrong had to land the module manually. On July 20, 1969, the Eagle landed on the Moon. Neil Armstrong stepped out and became the first man to set foot on the moon. With his first step on the Moon, Armstrong said, “It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The End of the Space Race

With the Gemini and Apollo programs, the United States has taken a big lead in the space race. In July 1975, as relations between the United States and the Soviet Union began to thaw, the first joint US-Soviet mission took place with Project Apollo-Be. The space race has effectively ended.

Interesting Facts About the Space Race

The Russians call their cosmonauts cosmonauts, which means “sailors of the universe”. Americans are called astronauts, which means “star sailor”.

Before Kennedy was assassinated, the Russians and Americans discussed putting a man on the moon together. After his death, the Russians abandoned the venture.

The United States would have had its first satellite in orbit if it had been allowed to use military missiles in the first place. However, Eisenhower feared being called a belligerent if he used military rockets for space. He told the scientists that they should use research rockets instead.

The space race has not been a long string of successes. Both sides suffered numerous setbacks, including collisions and explosions that resulted in the deaths of several astronauts.