The Space Race: Transformal Competition Between The United States And The Soviet Union

The Space Race was considered an informal competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to see who could make the furthest advancements into space first. The Space Race involved exploring outer space with satellites and sending men to the Moon and bringing them back safely. The Space Race effectively began on October 1, 1957 when the Soviets launched the first ever manmade satellite, Sputnik. The Space Race was considered an analogy to the arms race that was going on at the same time. The Space Race eventually became an important part in the technological, ideological and social differences between the United Sates and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The launch of Sputnik, by the Soviets, in 1957 prompted the US to do something to catch up to the Soviets. The first thing the United States did was to end any opposition to developing space travel. By 1961, national prestige was quoted as a reason for developing space travel. The American people supported the Space Race and were thrilled in the fact that they ‘won’ the race. However, by 1970, the political climate had shifted. For the time being liberals were disappointed with the whole technology sector, due to its association with the military during Vietnam. A conservative administration had taken over as well. With limited liberal support, NASA was unable to prevent the Nixon administration from killing the lunar program. NASA was able to salvage a short-term orbital lab, Skylab.
The Space Race was a symbol of which system worked better. The American population along with the Soviet population both supported the Space Race during the 50's and 60's. It was very important to both the Americans and the Soviets to win the race, to show the world which political system