THE SPACE RACE
The space race was a challenge between the Soviet Union and the Untied States to prove their technological superiority over their counterpart. It started with the launching of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, getting them off to an early lead by successfully completing the initial goal. The United States was not happy about their initial defeat, so they increased spending towards math and science education, as well as establishing NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was founded in 1958, with the goal being to beat the Soviet Union's space program and prove to the world who the most technologically advanced country was. The United States did eventually end up getting their own satellite into space, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958.
The Soviet Union stayed on top of the space race for some time, putting Yuri Gagarin in space on April 12, 1961. This was the first time a human had been in space, as well as the first human to orbit Earth. The United States was not far behind though, for they put a man of their own, Alan Shepard, in space only a couple weeks later on May 5, 1961. They were a little farther behind in getting a man to orbit Earth, not completing this task until February 20, 1962 with John Glenn. The Soviet Union also provided the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, in June of 1963.
With the Soviet Union winning in every category, president Kennedy felt the need to divert all attention to winning the race to the moon. He made a speech in May of 1961, saying "The United States would put a man on the moon before the end of decade." He delivered with that promise, too, putting Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969 through the Apollo 11 mission. The Apollo 11 mission was the eleventh flight in a series that used Apollo flight hardware. Its purpose was to land a man on the moon and safely return him home.
The Soviet Union stayed on top of the space race for some time, putting Yuri Gagarin in space on April 12, 1961. This was the first time a human had been in space, as well as the first human to orbit Earth. The United States was not far behind though, for they put a man of their own, Alan Shepard, in space only a couple weeks later on May 5, 1961. They were a little farther behind in getting a man to orbit Earth, not completing this task until February 20, 1962 with John Glenn. The Soviet Union also provided the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, in June of 1963.
With the Soviet Union winning in every category, president Kennedy felt the need to divert all attention to winning the race to the moon. He made a speech in May of 1961, saying "The United States would put a man on the moon before the end of decade." He delivered with that promise, too, putting Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969 through the Apollo 11 mission. The Apollo 11 mission was the eleventh flight in a series that used Apollo flight hardware. Its purpose was to land a man on the moon and safely return him home.
Links to Timelines of the Space Race
http://www.thespacerace.com/timeline/
http://www.spacekids.co.uk/spacehistory/
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/space-race/all/interactive
http://www.spacekids.co.uk/spacehistory/
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/space-race/all/interactive