American Vs. Russian Space Program

Since the launch of Sputnik 1, Russia and America continually compete against one another in the exploration of space. The idea of exploring a new frontier intrigued the citizens of both countries. The race to achieve the first successful launch into space created the institution of two independent space programs, the Soviet Space Program and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Since their origins, the agencies contrasted in mission procedures, construction, and view of space’s applications. Though the two programs ultimately amalgamated to further exploration and elevate productivity, Russia proves the victor as it dominates the gateway to space. The current application for Russia occurs with the retirement of the space shuttle program, where the U.S. dependency transpires with each visit to the International Space Station (ISS). The first few crucial factors that differentiate each program resulted from alternate methods, procedures, and test subjects for their missions. The types of vehicles, space stations, and experimentation varied significantly between the agencies of each country. A final consequential piece of the organizations culminated with the joint venture to construct the ISS and promote the space program. When Roscosmos and NASA joined together, other countries of the program increased their efforts, however the United States and Russia continued to dominate the majority of the construction of the ISS. Though the two nations competed against one another, each hoping to gain victory, the majority of society remains unaware that the idea, which initiated the Space Race, arose from a Nazi rocket developer Wernher von Braun. “From his teenage years, von Braun had held a keen interest in space flig...

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... reasoning arose from the fact that primates possess opposable thumbs and a higher IQ than that of a dog. NASA received ample recognition for their ability to train chimpanzees to perform flight tasks. Two chimps, Ham and Enos, served as stepping-stones to human flight of the Mercury missions and proved that animals possessed the capability to pilot a spacecraft and preform all required duties. “Ham the Chimp was the first chimpanzee launched into outer space” and his success helped America to regain their influence in space (“Space Dogs”). Enos also boosted NASA’s popularity because he “was said to be the first ‘living being’ sent to orbit by the United States”(Space Today Online). The fact that the two monkeys successfully completed their missions astonished the Soviet scientists but failed to convince them that a monkey serves a better test subject than a dog.