The Space Race
FromtheendofWorldWarIIin1945tothebreakupoftheSovietUnion(USSR)in1991, the
SovietUnionandtheUnitedStateswereinmilitary, social, andpoliticalconflict. Thisperiod
is known as the Cold War. While there were very few actual military confrontations, the two
countries were in an arms race—continually developing new and more powerful weapons as
eachcountrytriedtohavemorepowerfulweaponsthantheother. Whilethiscompetitionhad
manysocialandpoliticalconsequences, itdidalsohelptodrivetechnology. Thedevelopment
of missiles for war significantly sped up the development of rocket technologies.
Sputnik
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite ever
put into orbit. Sputnik 1, shown inFigure23.22, was 58 cm in diameter and weighed 84 kg
(184 lb). Antennas trailing behind the satellite sent out radio signals, which were detected
by scientists and amateur radio operators around the world. Sputnik 1 orbited Earth in low
Earth orbit on an elliptical path every 96 minutes. It stayed in orbit for about 3 months,
until it slowed down enough to descend into Earth’s atmosphere, where it burned up as a
result of friction with Earth’s atmosphere.
The launch of Sputnik 1 started theSpace Racebetween the Soviet Union and the United
States. Many people in the U.S. were shocked that the Soviets had the technology to put
the satellite in orbit, and they worried that the Soviets might also be winning the arms race.
On November 3, 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik 2, which carried the first animal to go
into orbit—a dog named Laika.
The Race Is On
In response to the Sputnik program, the U.S. launched their own satellite, Explorer I, on
January 31, 1958. Shortly after that—March 17 1958—the U.S. launched another satellite,
Vanguard 1. Later that year, the U.S. Congress and President Eisenhower established the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The Soviets still managed to stay ahead of the United States for many notable “firsts.” On
April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became both the first human in space and
the first human in orbit. Less than one month later—May 5, 1961—the U.S. sent their first
astronaut into space: Alan Shepherd. The first American to orbit Earth was John Glenn, in
February 1962. The first woman in space was a Soviet: Valentina Tereshkova, in June 1963.
The timeline inTable23.1shows many other Space Race firsts.