The Space Race: The Beginning of the Future

The Space Race, a time of science, technology, and engineering between the Soviet Union and the United States, was a race to see who could be the first to launch a satellite into space. Supposedly the Soviets did, but did you know that the Germans were the first into space? The Germans tested a missile and it left the atmosphere and went into space during World War II. When they were defeated in World War II, Germany's top scientists were seized by the Allies to help them in their quest for a place in history. The Space Race changed history, as well as advanced both countries in science and technology, and it opened the door to further space exploration.

The Space Race involved two of the greatest countries in the world during the 50s and 60s. It involved great leaders like John F. Kennedy and Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, astronauts like Yuri Gargarin and Thomas P. Stafford, satellites like Sputnik 1, and programs like the Apollo program. The few involvements in the Space Race had and will continue to have, great influences on the future and the continuation of influence on history.

These moments in history started in 1930 when Germany began to research and develop ballistic missiles like the A-4(Aggregate-4) and the V2(Vengeance-2). The V2 became the early rocket base design for the Soviets and US. The starting line was in 1955 when both nations announced that they would launch artificial satellites by 1957 or 1958, four days apart from one another. On July 29, 1955, James C. Hagerty, President Dwight D. Eisenhower's press secretary, announced that the United States intended to launch small Earth circling satellites between July 1, 1957, and December 31, 1958, as part of their contribution to the International Geophysical Year (IGY). The US Government's fear was that a satellite passing above a nation at over 62 miles, might be considered as violating that nation's sovereign airspace and that the Soviet Union would accuse the Americans of an illegal overflight, thus scoring a propaganda victory. The public controversy was caused by the Soviet success of a satellite and a man in space. Afterward, President Eisenhower ordered the civilian rocket project Vanguard to move up its timetable and launch its satellite much sooner than originally planned.

The Race turned toward the moon as then President Kennedy delivered a speech to Congress in 1961 steering the newly named program, the National Aeronautics and Space Association(NASA), towards the moon and beyond. This speech directed NASA to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. After this, Kennedy proposed a joint US-USSR effort to go to the moon, Nikita Khrushchev initially rejected this idea though he reconsidered right before Kennedy's assassination. When Lyndon Johnson became president Khrushchev dropped the idea altogether, thus ending a joint effort for now, since he did not trust Johnson. The US and the USSR continued their efforts to reach the moon first, but the USSR pulled out of that part of the race after several failures within their programs. Even though the USSR publicly denied being a part of the moon race, they secretly funded two programs in the 1960s, the manned lunar flyby missions using Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft, launched with the Proton-K rocket, and a manned lunar landing using Soyuz 7K-LOK and LK Lander spacecraft, launched with the N1 rocket. After the lunar landing of the US, the USSR pulled funding for both programs and canceled them, thus ending the lunar vision for the USSR. The US landed Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin on the moon in 1969 as part of the Apollo program and Apollo 11 is the rocket that landed those two men on the moon and made history. After landing on the moon, the Space Race started to wind down. Being the first on the moon, the first to space, and the first to orbit, the US and the USSR changed history and influenced how space exploration is the key to the future.

Both countries changed history, but when they did, they advanced in the biggest categories of the world at that time. In the 50s and 60s, science and technology played a greater role in civilization, as well as in society and the local community. Wernher von Braun led the charge for the United States and Sergei Korolev led the charge for the USSR, in their respective programs. The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the third human spaceflight program initiated by NASA, which landed humans on the moon from 1969 to 1972. The R7 Semyorka, the Soviet's program, was successful at the beginning of the race but not very well known and inefficient near the end of the 60s.

Both programs had their disastrous and historical moments. Some of the disastrous moments include the explosion of the Challenger, the explosion of the Soyuz 1, and some historical moments like the first man in space, and the first man to orbit the earth. Both programs succeeded in their initial goal, but both programs influenced each other's countries than just an initiative to go farther.

The Soviets, with their space program, made history with the first artificial man-made satellite into space in 1957. This satellite was named Sputnik 1 and its launch aftermath greatly challenged the supremacy of the US in education and technology. Soon after, the Soviets put a man, Yuri Gargarin, into space and he orbited the Earth inside the Vostok 1. The Soviets also launched a dog into space who passed away after some time in space. The Soviet programs greatly influenced the country politically, educationally, and scientifically. Instead of focusing on conquering a strong empire, the Soviets found that studying science and how technology influences their country, was a greater appeal than wars. The Soviets proved that a man and animal could be in space for a period of time, but it was the US who took the cake.

The Apollo program was the most effective space program in history and put the most effort into the space race as well as the most prolonged and most active running program. Even though one of the Soviet's programs lasted till 1996, it wasn’t active all those years. Although the Soviets won the race to space, the US won the race to the moon. Project Mercury, the program before Apollo, sent a man into space but was ultimately canceled and the focus was shifted to Apollo. The Apollo missions sent men on the moon, into space, and back. But when it was shut down in 1972, NASA turned to space exploration and the Apollo program was just history. But the US grew from the Apollo programs and NASA grew scientifically as it influenced the world we live in. Now instead of just expanding its influence on Earth, NASA now influences other countries and also looks to continued space and what is beyond.

Now that the moon was conquered NASA was the first program to seriously look beyond the moon and focus on space exploration. It started as a theory and grew into a real idea of possible life on other planets, other galaxies, aliens, and a continued search for answers. Space exploration has always been an idea, but it took the moon landing for serious consideration to occur within the scientific and public community. NASA launched the pair of Voyagers 1&2 soon after for further exploration. After the voyagers were launched, pictures of Jupiter and her moons were transmitted as well with Saturn pictures. Pictures of Uranus and Neptune began transmitting as well. Both Voyagers were passed Neptune at this point and were continuing to transmit images back to Earth when in 2012, Voyager I entered interstellar space and the journey outside our universe began.

Both Presidents Bush and Obama both pushed for further results to build a space station on Mars and to bring human life to space from Earth. Space exploration became the full focus of NASA and answers were given. There is an end to this universe, Pluto was discovered as a dwarf planet, Earth was discovered as not the only one with moons, Jupiter was the biggest planet, Saturn’s rings were asteroids, and asteroids were studied as massive rocks, some the size of New York.

Space exploration also landed some other historical moments such as the first woman in space, the first woman to walk in space, the oldest man in space, and the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid. John Glenn, Eileen Collins, Mae Jemison, and Kathryn Sullivan were just some of the famous names to pioneer adventures into the great unknown. As far as space exploration, NASA continued and still continues, to develop technology that would further the development of future life on other planets. The Mars mission was set forth by President Bush but the idea dates back to the Lyndon Johnson era of the Race when a few of NASA's engineers came up with the idea of life on other planets as a future goal. The exploration of space is still expanding and does so every day. With new technology, life on Mars is a possibility in the near future.

In conclusion, the dream that JFK had of a man on the moon has extended into possible life on other planets, other galaxies, and alien life in space. The Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States of America has changed history, advanced both nations in science and technology, and opened the door to space exploration. The Space Race did more than just signify that spacewalking was a possibility, it opened the door to Earth life on Mars, probes in interstellar space, and a country still supreme in space exploration.