Space Race

By: William Hastings

Axel Martinez

In The Beginning

• When the Space Race began the U.S. had favored bombers over missiles and Soviet Union had experience with missiles which gave them an advantage in rocket science.

• The race consisted of 3 different parts, the first satellite, space walk, and human in space.

Advancement in the Soviet Union

• Sputnik I & II– The Soviet Union stunned the world with

its first satellite launch in October 4, 1937 Sputnik I.

– One month later the Soviet Union launched Sputnik II with a dog inside of it, showing the possibility of human travel to space!

Advancement in the Soviet Union

• Ivan Ivanovich– First dummy launched into space, using

Sputnik 9 and 10.

– He looked so real they had to write “model” on his forehead!

– He was used to test parachuting down after entering the atmosphere.

– Paved the way to the first manned flight in Vostok I

Advancement in the Soviet Union

• First man in space!– April 12th, 1961 the world was stunned

when Yuri Gagarin was the first man to travel around the world in the Vostok I.

– This flight suggested the Soviet Union was well ahead in the Space Race!

Advancement in the United States

• Pressure in the United States– Sputnik caused a universal praise as an

outstanding scientific achievement.

– Provoked the United States to debate to develop a rocket and missile research lab

– Reforms were made in the educational system for math and science!

Advancement in the United States

• Creation of NASA– July 29th, 1958 president Eisenhower signed

the National Aeronautics and Space act to establish the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration” also known as NASA.

Advancement in the United States

• Project Mercury– Eisenhower felt it was a necessity to

send humans to space.

– Eisenhower assigned all manned space flight projects called Project Mercury, to NASA before it was one month old!

Advancement in the United States

• Rocket Disaster– The United

States planned to launch its first satellites, Both trials both ended in disaster using the Navy’s Vanguard Rockets

Advancement in the United States

• Americans first Success!– After the two failed trials ending in

disaster the army gained approval to launch the Explorer I into space!

– Although behind, then United States passed its initial conflicts and is now in the Space Race!

Advancement in the United States

• Mercury's Success!– On May 25th, Alan Shepard became the

first American astronaut to sub orbit the earth!

Advancement in the United States

• Manned moon flight!– In the mid 1960’s engineers announced its

intentions to send humans to the moon and stated a moon flight would end the space race.

– This would show superiority is Space technology

– This flight was know as Apollo

– John F. Kennedy stated a flight to the moon would come before the end of the decade!

Kennedys Message

• "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is the one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intended to win..." - John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962 address at Rice University.

End of the Space Race

• On July 21st, 1969 millions of people around the world watched on television as two American astronauts stepped foot on the moon!

• The United States successfully stepped foot on the moon 8 years after Kennedys Message as he envisioned.

Closure Questions

• What was the name of the dummy the Soviet Union used to test parachuting a landing?

• Who was the first American astronaut to enter space?

• When did America land on the moon?• What space craft was used to carry the first

dog in space?• When was Sputnik I launched?• What task did Eisenhower give NASA to do

before it was one month old?

Sources• http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal114/gal114.htm• http://spaceracehistory.tripod.com/us3.shtml• http://www.google.com/search?q=Space+Race&hl=en&safe=active&client=

firefox-a&hs=kMN&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnsub&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=_1GjTeOKB9D0gAfkrpXaBQ&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=14&ved=0CIIBEOcCMA0

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