The Space Race
By Jensen Richardson
The United States vs. the USSR
During the 50s and 60s the United States and the USSR were engaged in a space race. The two countries had to be the first to do everything and if one did something before the other than the other would match that achievement very quickly. We were engaged in the space race because we were in the middle of the Cold War.
Alan Shepard
The first american man in space.
Edward H. White
The first american man to perform a space walk.
Neil Armstrong
First man to walk on the moon.
The Space Race and the Cold War
Similarities Between the Space Race and the Cold War
During the Space Race and the Cold War the United States and the USSR were in a competition to be the best at everything, be it the first person in space or the first in the Olympics. Furthermore, both countries were constantly making small achievements and then the other country would quickly match it. For example during the Cold War the United States created the hydrogen bomb and then 3 years later the USSR had one.
The Moon Landings
First Moon Landing 1969
Apollo 13
All of the missions to land on the moon were successful except for one, Apollo 13. Apollo 13 launched normally on April 11, 1970, at 13:13 CST from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Everything was fine until 2 days later when an oxygen tank exploded and the moon landing was aborted. The crew made it back alive in the lunar lander.
Alan Shepard Playing Golf on the Moon
How did the Moon Landings Work?
After a few orbits, the Command Module ignited the third-stage engine which pushed the spacecraft onto its trajectory toward the Moon with the trans-lunar injection. When the spaceship entered lunar orbit it orbited for a while then the Lunar Module separated from the Command Module and started its decent toward the surface. The Lunar Module landed several miles off from the target landing. After they landed, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong spent 2 hours and 36 minutes on the moon. Then they separated the Lunar Module and went back to the Command Module. They returned to Earth and splashed down by Hawaii.