The Cold War was a period where there was a lot of tension between the U.S. and Russia, with both sides harboring feelings of suspicion and even disgust for the other. However, terrible Russian-American relations and the possible catastrophic destruction of nuclear war was not the only thing the Cold War promoted. One of the effects of the Cold War was fierce competition in a lot of areas, such as maintaining influence in third world countries and, of course, the Space Race. As a result of this rivalry between Russia and the United States in supremacy in spaceflight capability, the American culture was dramatically changed in several ways such as the fact that Americans now perceive themselves to be the world’s leading super power. They also developed a sudden newfound respect for science and technology as well as developing a new portrayal of space, which is shown in several books and movies. These effects would prove to have a lasting effect even in present-day America, as well as the every-day American.
The most important event of the Space Race, which would forever alter how American’s thought of themselves as well as other countries, was the landing on the moon on July 20, 1969. For the world, this was a historic day where what seemed to be impossible for thousands of years was finally accomplished. And that accomplishment was America’s and America’s alone. As former ABC anchor Frank Reynolds stated, this event would forever leave its mark in history. “With me is our Science Editor Jules Bergman, and we will be here, from now on for what will be truly a historic time in the life of our country and the existence of mankind” (ABC News' Coverage of Apollo 11 Moon Landing). The Americans defeated the Russians on the...
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... between Russia and America, between the ideals of communism and capitalism. In the end, this rivalry directly resulted in America’s breakthrough success with its landing on the moon. By proving that landing on the moon was possible, Americans proved that they were capable of not only leading the world, but also that they were able to do the impossible.
Works Cited
“ABC News' Coverage of Apollo 11 Moon Landing” abcnews.go.com. ABC News Network. N.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014
“BBC unites old adversaries for new series on space race” bbc.co.uk. BBC. 24 June 2004. Web. 6 Feb. 2014
“Competing with the Soviets” audrajwolfe.com. WordPress. N.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014
Kennedy David, Cohen Lizabeth, Baily, Thomas. The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.
Wilford, John. “Men Walk On Moon” nytimes.com. The New York Times Company. N.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."- John F. Kennedy. On a warm July night in 1969, this dream came true. Millions of people sat captivated in front of their TVs witnessing one of the most monumental events in history, Neil Armstrong walking gracefully on the moon. This event in US history changed the way we look at space forever. Political issues such as the Vietnam War and foreign affairs were on the forefront of American's minds. Thousands of people came peacefully together in a historical concert event called Woodstock. Children were introduced to a place called "Sesame Street" and Heavy Metal meant more than just an old car. The year 1969 impacted American's lives today in politics, science, sports, art, entertainment and daily living.
The Soviet’s were responsible for putting man on the moon, rovers on Mars, and launching the Hubble Space Telescope. Indeed, it was the United States’ foes that drove the U.S. to accomplish perhaps the greatest feats of the twentieth century. Following the defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II, tensions between former allies, the United States and the Soviet Union, began to grow. In the following decades, the two superpowers would duke it out in competitions and tremendous shows of nationalism. They formed unmatchable rivalries in politics, economics, sciences, and sports. These rivalries would become clear when two countries competed in the space race, a competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union concerning achievements in the field of space exploration. The Soviet’s took the early lead as they put the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 established a sense of fear into the American Public, resulting in the creation of NASA in the late 1950’s which opened the door for space exploration today and for future generations.
In 1980, it seemed like the United States was not as dominant in the world as it had been before. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union began after World War II. The two nations had joined forces as members of the Allies, but tensions arose after the war. The Americans were very worried about the spread of Soviet communism, and tried to prevent it with a policy of containment, where the United States would protect countries from outside oppression. The Cold War also expanded to include the race between the Soviets and Americans to create atomic weapons. Furthermore, there was a race between the two countries to put the first man in space, which was accomplished by the United States in 1961 (“Cold War History”). The Cold War was a standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union to try to prove their dominance in the world. Each country wanted to have more power and diminish the power of the other. At home, Americans were paranoid with the thought of Soviet spies and communists hiding amongst them, dubbed the “Red Scare.” President Richard Nixon and the Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev signed the Strategic A...
The 1960’s were full of questions, and one of the biggest questions the world was pondering about was regarding the Space Race: was the USA going to beat their communist enemy, the Soviet Union? The Space Race was a series of events that helped to symbolize and determine in the worlds’ eyes which form of government was better, communism (Soviets) or democracy (United States)? In the beginning of the race, the Soviets had the lead, and it was not looking good for America. Then the United States picked up the pace and spent well over eight billion dollars funding the space studies. This period of time made many scientists and astronauts heroes in the eyes of Americans. The Space Race was a combination of determination, intelligence, space projects, and American pride, all used to reach our exploration goals and surpass the Soviets.
July 21, 1969. American astronaut Neil Armstrong, radios to earth: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” The control room in Houston, Texas bursts with cheering and applause. Kennedy’s Project Apollo put America in the lead in the Space Race. The Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States was a very big deal. The Apollo Program worked towards establishing the technology to meet other national interests in space, develop man’s capability to work in the lunar environment, and to promote nationalism and achieve preeminence in space for the United States.
At the end of WWII in 1945, the USA and the Soviet Union emerged as the world’s superpowers. This was a time of great tension, rivalry and distrust between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a time of political, diplomatic, military and economic rivalry where both nations wanted to emerge as the world’s new superpower. Hence, the Cold War would be of profound significance in the development of the space race as the space race was a key element in the rivalry of political, economic and social dominance.
After World War II ended, a silent war slowly began between the USSR and USA. It was a technology war. The two superpowers raced to the moon, but they couldn’t do this themselves. Both sides tried to recruit the German scientists that were behind the V-2 rockets. Using the V-2 rocket technology that could reach the speed of nearly 3500mph, both sides rushed to find the brilliant scientists behind the rockets technology. The race to space was very important during this time because of the Cold War era and they used satellites to spy on one another. Both countries were strong military wise and it was an equal match but to prove who’s the strongest the race to space began.
...o a new level. Moreover, a subtle war was emerging between the Soviet Union and the United States. Both nations had power, people, and prosperity, and a drive for success. As early as 1948, Soviets expressed discontent towards the United States in science fiction. For example, a publication called “The Incredible Slingshot Bombs”, written by an American, was critiqued by the Soviets (Major 77). In the story, a boy gains possession of miniscule bombs and uses them to wreak havoc using a slingshot (Major 77). The Soviets jabbed at both the story and the United States, claiming a “hooligan with an atomic slingshot, isn’t this the true symbol of modern imperialism?” (Major 77). After the atomic bomb, the world was under the United States’ ruling hand – dwelling on both Huxley’s predictions and suggesting the future of Soviet-American interactions for years to come.
[REVISE] The success of Apollo 11 which included the historic presence of the first humans on the moon signified the greatest extent of human intellectual advancement. Various circumstances were undertaken throughout the effort in success that established the United States’ superiority in terms of scientific and military progress.
American nationalism during the Space Race fueled support for NASA, resulting in great technological and scientific advancements during the Cold War. The hyper-competitive atmosphere surrounding the Cold War heightened already existing rivalry between the United States’ and the Soviet Union’s science programs. As the two superpowers struggled for technological dominance, the American people were swept into a frenzy of nationalism. The Science News-Letter pointed out that the Space Race was driven by, “nothing more or less than the ego-driven pressures of competition.” The idea of the Soviet Union both having a superior space program as well as having the capacity to attack the United States with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) brought the U.S. space program off the ground.
The space race was just another competition that they had to stress about. Spoiler, the Soviet Union had a successful launch (Sputnik) of the first satellite to orbit the earth. Regardless, they weren’t too fond of them winning anyways. From a popular American political cartoon titled “Another Face We Can Lose", it shows two sad Americans with their backs saying too little and too late, as they see the Soviet Union rocket launch into space. Tons of Americans just didn’t believe in their own country winning. Something that causes both countries do not get along from the start, was the tension and distrust. The Soviet Union did not like capitalism, and the US was a capitalist country, so that alone was conflict. They thought that the other was inferior, making them stronger, which caused to compete against each other to prove that they are the best at
“On July 16, 1969 the world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon.” (news.nationalgeographic.com). This was the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the first successful manned mission to the moon. This mission was the product of the space race (race to see who would go into outer space first, against the Soviet Union). This goal was set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 and he promised that we would be the first to step on the moon by the end of the decade. The Apollo 11 mission is often cited as the greatest achievement in human history. (news.nationalgeographic.com)
~"The 1969 Moon Landing: First Humans to Walk on Another World." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History in Context. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
It is within man’s blood and nature to explore, and space is our next New World. Man’s first achievement in space travel was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. For the next decades, space travel was roaring like a rocket, fueled by man’s desire to explore, man’s desire for knowledge, and man’s desire to beat his enemies. However, these impulses have died out as the well of government funding has been diverted to wars and debts, and the interest of the American people has been diverted to wars and debts. Amidst all these issues it is debated as to whether or not space travel is worth the money and the attention of scientists, particularly since humanity faces so many issues on earth currently. However, because of the past inventions, current services, and future benefits, space travel is indeed worth the money and attention of governments and people. It is within our hands to control man’s advancement, and space travel is the next venue to do so.
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It was July 20 1969, the day that reshaped our nation and gave us unparalleled dreams for the future. The impact of the day goes far beyond our pride and nationalism; that day would change space exploration and technology forever. Just like a shooting star, that day would give us a glimpse of hope. A chance to see an event so breathtaking and defying, it would be man’s greatest accomplishment in the 20th century. As millions of people watched from their TV sets, a rush of euphoria came over the nation as Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the surface of the moon. It was the first time in the history of mankind that we would step on the surface of another celestial body. John F. Kennedy dared us to dream, he inspired the nation to reach for the moon, to set ourselves apart from the rest of the world. The Space Race was symbolic of many things. Our future as the technically dominate nation was secured in place; just as secure as Old Glory would be, when she was driven down into the soil of the moon. We not only reached the moon, we conquered it as a nation; united.