The Space Race
Major Events and the Cold War
Space Race Summary
The Space Race was the name given to the struggle between the Soviets and the Americans to advance space exploration. The race started in 1957 when the Soviets launched the Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. The Soviets remained ahead of the U.S. in 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space and the first to orbit the Earth. The U.S. pushed past the Soviets in 1968 when the Apollo 8 mission became the first to orbit the moon and in 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the First men to set foot on the moon. If the space race had not existed, Space technology would not have advanced nearly as fast and the world would not have the technology that it has today.
The Parallels to the Cold War
The Space Race is similar to the cold war in several ways. They are alike because they were both a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union and they both did not use direct military action. Also, they are similar because in both the Soviets Were initially more successful, but the U.S. surpassed them and won.