The Space Race
How the Space Race had a huge impact on the Cold War
Space Race History
When the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik, the US was scared that the Soviet Union would be able to use nuclear weapons against us. The US began to "race" the Soviets and get a satellite of our own in space. From there we began to want higher goals. Kennedy made the decision to not "shoot for the stars", but for the moon. The United States and the Soviet Union raced to reach the moon first.
Ending
The United States reached the moon first and it was huge for America as a nation. Reaching the moon was during the Cold War, so everything was competition against our enemies, the Soviets. Reaching the moon first was like a finish line, and showed that we were better. Like in the battle field, this was a win that mattered. The US needed this victory under their belt. This also helped Kennedy become a more trusted president.
Pictures
This shows the race and a literal finish line.
Shows the two enemies
This shows a race to the moon
The Space Race Importance
Importance
Because the Soviets and the US were fighting on land to be the most strong world leaders, Space showed superiority and the mystery yet to be solved by anyone.