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Sputnik
In October of 1957 is when something amazing happened. It was the first time a man-made object was launched into space. It was a Russian satellite called “Sputnik”. This is the event that started the space race -
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The Space Race
The Space race was an important event that took place from the 1950s to the late 1960s. It was between the Soviet Union and the US. With these two countries being the most powerful, it was important to win. -
NASA
After this happened, the US realized that they needed to do something. They needed to do something because they saw what Russia could do with their rockets. In 1958, NASA was created. This agency was made by the government with the sole purpose of advancing the knowledge of space. -
Luna 2
In 1959, it was time for Russia to attack again. They launched” Luna 2”. This was very important as this was the first time a probe or device of any kind made it to the moon. This what setup for what eventually be a person instead of an object. -
Yuri Gagarin
For the next couple of years, the US would focus on research, while the Russians were the first to have a person orbit the earth. His name was Yuri Gagarin. This happened in 1961. This was significant as previously, it was only test animals going into space -
John F. Kennedy
In May of 1961, John F. Kennedy gives his famous speech talking about the space race” we will land a man on the moon before the end of this decade”. This powerful speech was able to inspire so many Americans. After this speech was when the US kicked it into high gear. Before this speech, the thought of going to the moon was an exciting idea, but not realistic. -
John Glenn
With Kennedy's promise to get a man to the moon, NASA was working even harder. Their hard work paid off as in 1962 they were able to get the first American into space. That man was John Glenn. After the recent success with John Glenn, it was time for the next step. NASA officially announced “Project Apollo.” -
NASA budget
At the start of 1963 is when the budget of NASA got increased heavily. The increase was 500%. With all this money and the project in the works, it was bound to happen. The reason why this happened is that JFK was very focused on having this happen so he demanded to have the budget for NASA to be raised. With the increase in budget and the US behind NASA, they were able to work faster and more efficiently than ever. -
The Setback
All was going great for the US and NASA as they were making fast progress to get a man on the moon by the decade, however something terrible happened, three astronauts were killed during a test. They were testing a simulation inside of a spacecraft and it caught on fire. This incident hurt NASA badly. People were now questioning if it worth the lives of people and all the money to put a man on the moon. This Happened in 1967. NASA took a big hit, but they were still determined to win. -
Apollo 8
It was time. After years of trial and error, NASA was ready, the world was ready. It's important to notice that in the beginning, Russia had the advantage and was closer to getting on the moon. However when JFK gave his speech and NASA was created, the US was unstoppable. In December of 1968, Apollo 8 was launched and heading towards the moon to orbit. This would mark the first spacecraft to orbit the moon for the US. Apollo 8 was a three named team that successfully orbited the moon. -
Man on the Moon
After Apollo 8 was successful, it was time for apollo 11. This mission was to land astronauts onto the moon. The astronauts set out to go where buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins. In the year of 1969, on July 20th, landed on the moon. This would mark the end of the space race. The US after winning showed that they are the number one country. This is where Armstrong said "one small step for man, one giant leap for Mankind". -
The significance
The space race meant more than landing a man on the moon, it was to show power. When the Soviet Union had the first successful satellite in orbit, the US knew that it was very important to develop spacecraft of their own. This race was to show who was the leader in the world, and when Russia lost, it was a turning point in the cold war. The US was able to show their dominance and the capability they had to do one of the biggest achievements in human history.
