Space Race

The Space Race, an informal competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975. It involved the parallel efforts by each of those countries to explore outer space with artificial satellites, to send humans into space, and to land people on the moon.

Artificial satellites start the "race"

Sputnik

On 4 October 1957, the USSR successfully launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to reach orbit, and the Space Race began. Because of its military and economic implications, Sputnik caused fear and stirred political debate in the United States. At the same time, the Sputnik launch was seen in the Soviet Union as an important sign of scientifical and engineering capabilities of the nation.

Related Topics:
4 October - 1957 - Sputnik 1

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In the Soviet Union the launch of Sputnik and the following program of space exploration was met with great interest from the public. For the country recently recovered from devastating war it was important and ecouraging to see the proof of technical prowess in the new area.

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Before Sputnik, the average American assumed that the U.S. had superiority in all fields of technology. Von Braun's counterpart in the Soviet Union, Sergei Korolev, the chief engineer who designed the R-7 rocket which sent Sputnik into orbit, would later engineer the N-1, designed to launch cosmonauts to the Moon. In response to Sputnik, the U.S. would launch a huge effort to regain technological supremacy, including revamping the school curricula in the hope of producing more von Brauns and Korolevs. This reaction is nowadays known as the Sputnik crisis.

Related Topics:
Sergei Korolev - R-7 rocket - N-1 - Cosmonaut - Sputnik crisis

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Lyndon B. Johnson, Vice President to President John F. Kennedy, expressed the motivation for these American efforts as follows:

Related Topics:
Lyndon B. Johnson - Vice President - John F. Kennedy

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:In the eyes of the world, first in space means first, period; second in space is second in everything.1

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The American public, initially discouraged and frightened by Sputnik, became captivated by the American projects which followed. Schoolchildren followed the succession of launches, and building replicas of rockets became a popular hobby. President Kennedy gave speeches encouraging people to support the space program and trying to overcome the skepticism of many who felt the millions of dollars might better go on building stocks of proven, existing armaments, or on fighting poverty.

Related Topics:
Replicas of rockets - Space program - Poverty

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Nearly four months after the launch of Sputnik 1, the U.S. launched its first satellite, Explorer I. In the interim, a number of embarrassing launch failures had occurred at Cape Canaveral.

Related Topics:
Explorer I - Cape Canaveral

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The very first satellites were already used for scientific purposes. The Sputnik was launched during International Geophysical Year, and helped to determine the density of the upper atmosphere. The Explorer I flight data led to discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt.

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Satellite communications

The first communications satellite, Project SCORE, launched on December 18 1958, relayed a Christmas message from President Eisenhower to the world. Other notable examples of satellite communication during (or spawned by) the Space Race include:

Related Topics:
Communications satellite - Project SCORE - December 18 - 1958 - President Eisenhower

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:1962: Telstar: the first experimental transoceanic communications satellite

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:1972: Anik 1: first domestic communications satellite (Canada)

Related Topics:
1972 - Anik 1 - Canada

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:1974: WESTAR: first U.S. domestic communications satellite

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:1976: MARISAT: first mobile communications satellite

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Other noteworthy satellites

The U.S. launched the first geosynchronous satellite, Syncom-2, on July 26 1963. The success of this class of satellite meant that a simple satellite dish no longer needed to track the orbit of the satellite, as that orbit remained geostationary. Henceforth ordinary citizens could use satellite-mediated communications transmissions for television broadcasts, after a one-time setup.

Related Topics:
Geosynchronous - Syncom - July 26 - 1963 - Geostationary

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