Technology Of Technology And Technology In The Cold War

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Cold War Technology Introduction The Cold War era was a vital time in world history, let alone in American history. The United States and the Soviet Union were racing to see who could accomplish what fastest. The Cold War was a time of suspicion and rivalry between America and the Soviet Union. Between both of these superpowers, they had enough nuclear weapons to kill the planet many times over. Both countries saw the other as a constant threat and were preparing for a possible war. From the years 1945 to 1991, this rivalry would expand over categories such as technology, weaponization, construction of nuclear weapons, and even reaching to the far reaches of the moon and back. Leading to the Cold War The Soviet Union (USSR), Britain, and …show more content…

The role of the military was massive. Scientists were swayed towards the technology needs of the Cold War in the content and direction of most research in the Cold War era. Science was at an all time high during the Cold War. The Department of Defense had come to support education, especially physical science and engineering. This overall meant America was spending a lot of money. America was spending this money to develop new technology for what seemed to concern national security. After Sputnik, the expenses reached all time high in the 1960s at 5.5 billion a year, with the Department of Defense accounting for 80 percent of the budget. Of the R&D budget, the Department of Defense was spending about three-quarters of industrial money on electronics and aerospace technology. Military-driven technologies proved useful for post-Cold War times and later generations. These technologies include microwave electronics, radar systems, and X-ray tubes. All these technologies set a path for scientists and engineers, consuming what they designed and …show more content…

America was committing itself to winning the so called “space race” against the Soviets. They were ahead at the time, having already launched Sputnik successfully. This was the start of satellite technology. In 1957, America failed to send Vanguard into space, though Explorer I was launched successfully a month later. Officials knew America needed a more organized effort if we were going to win the space race. During the Space Race, the Soviets were first to place a satellite in orbit, first to send a probe to the moon, first to place a human in space, first et cetera, et cetera. They had an impressive amount of accomplishments. America had to land a guy on the moon and safely bring him home. That moment happened on the 20th of July 1969 when a radio signal came through: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” This quote rests forever in Earth’s book of moments when every person was awestruck. The race to the moon was over. Neil Armstrong was about to step foot where no one had gone before. Also during the Cold War, The North American Aerospace Defense Headquarters (NORAD) is a complex built 2,500 feet inside of Colorado’s Cheyenne mountain. It was created in 1958 to detect and track the Soviet Union’s nuclear missiles during a strike. Since the Cold War era has ended, the employees monitor air traffic of planes and

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