Space Race



The Space Race took place in the mid-to-late 20th century. This competition was a “race” of technology between the Soviet Union and the United States. Between 1957 ad 1975, the Cold War rivalry focused on firsts in space exploration. This was seen as necessary, for it became a symbol of national security, as well as technological and ideological superiority. The “race involved launching artificial satellites, sub-orbital and orbital human spaceflight around Earth, and piloted trips to the Moon. It began on October 4, 1957 with the Soviet launch of the Sputnik 1, and artificial satellite, and ended in July of 1975 with a co-operative Apollo-Soyuz test project, which came to symbolize a partial easing of strained relations between the nations. Globally, this had an effect on not only the attitude of the people, but politics and economics.

             The people of the Space Race and Cold War era became accustomed to a life in fear of nuclear attack. With the Space Race, a new subject could be focused on, versus the constant threat. This gave the people of both the US and Soviet Union a sense of hope and safety. These social changes were among the most important impacts. Politically, the largest effect was the easing of tension after the race was over. The Space Race also sparked increases in government spending on education and research. This affected very largely the global economy. However these accelerated scientific advancements led to beneficial spin-off technologies that were used around the world. This also contributed largely to the environmental movement of the time. The first ever color picture of Earth was taken from Space, sparking a global interest in the Earth and it’s environment.



Citations:  Dick, Steven J. "Why We Explore." NASA. NASA, 4 Apr. 2005. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

  "Space Race." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. .

(1969). Apollo 11 photo by nasa. (1969). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.cosmosfrontier.com/space-exploration.html

