Space Race! Who Will Get There First?

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The race to the endless Frontier

SPACE RACE! WHo will get there first?

Orlando McMiller | History 102 | 25 March 2017

The Battle…

After World War II the United States of America (US), and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics entered the biggest heavyweight fight in World History. Both parties were investing and preparing a lot for this battle. But, who would strike the first blow? In 1957, the Soviets came out landing some serious blows with their first successful launch of the Sputnik. Followed by an upper cut with another successful launch and recovery of the Sputnik II, which had a larger payload and a dog named Laika aboard. The United States responded to the Soviets by launching its own satellite called Explorer I in January 1958. The Soviets had established their dominance early on the scorecards.

The Soviets got even more in the lead with a launch in 1959 with of the Luna II. Soon after, on April 12, 1961, they set up the early knock-out punch with another successful mission Vostok-1, which was their first manned with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin aboard. He would become the first man to orbit the earth. These blows were hardest to the US; however, they were not out of the fight. Our sitting United States President, John F. Kennedy to deliver and refocus the entire country. They sent up the Mercury with a chimpanzee inside and on May 5, 1961, the US sent their first manned mission into space. Astronaut Alan Shepard aboard the Freedom 7 was the man chosen to enter space; however, he didn’t orbit. The Soviets cosmonaut Gherman Titov launched for a day-long orbital flight on August 9, 1961 on board the Vostok-2.

As you can see, the Soviets had the edge over the US by spending the most time in space. Fortunately, the US had prepared their fighter well. This battle got interesting, the Soviets had a lot of first titles under their belt, which included the first dual manned flight, first woman in space, and others. In 1962, John Glenn was their first astronaut to orbit the Earth in the Apollo. He accomplished three orbits around earth before returning. The US was not going to give up this treacherous battle that easy. So, they set their eyes on the knock-out punch, the Moon.

The Apollo program provided the edge they needed. Sadly, United States President Kennedy was not living to see the historic event he pushed for. It was United States President Johnson who led the country during this time. On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in Luna Module II with two astronauts on board. Neil Armstrong was the first man to place his for on the Moon and Buzz Aldrin soon followed. The US gained its first claim to the moon, but the Soviets proved that they were not finished. The next day they launched Luna 15, an unmanned mission to the moon, however they inadvertently crashed it on the surface in attempt to land. Unfortunately, with this crash the Soviets threw in the towel. This battle was over and the US claimed the victory. While this battle had its tragedies and economic expenditures were extreme, the success of reaching their goals was worth it.