The Space Race (1957 - 1975) was a Cold War competition in the exploration of space between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Space Race started as the Russians developed rocket technology and launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, on October 4, 1957. Both sides made many attempts to reach their goals, with the US Ranger and Apollo Programs and the Soviet Sputnik, Luna, and Vostok programs being used to venture further into space. Both programs, however, experienced a number of setbacks. From the death of Laika the dog, to the multiple satellite crashes on both sides, to the Apollo 1 and 13 failures, it was a stressful time for everyone involved. The Soviets ended up beating the U.S. in putting both a satellite and a man in space, as well as touching down on the moon first, but the U.S. ultimately met the goal of putting the first man on the Moon, and thus making history.
It started with Sputnik...
Learn about the key figures on each side: the leaders, the politicians, the scientists, the astronauts.
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Explore the underlying causes for the Space Race, stemming from fundamental ideological differences and World War II.
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...and ended with Apollo 11 and collaboration.
Joint US-USSR missions brought peace at last- sort of.
About the Site
Created for HTHS US History II - The Cold War Gets Warm Project
Emily Jiang
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Adrian Vargas |
Michael Zhang |