The Start of the Space Race By NASA, U.S. State Department and USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.19.17 Word Count 880 This is a photo of the Explorer XVII satellite. Weighing 405 pounds, this 35-inch pressurized stainless steel sphere measured the density, composition, pressure and temperature of Earth's atmosphere after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 3, 1963. Photo: NASA Americans who happened to be gazing at the stars on Friday, October 4, 1957, may have noticed an object crossing the evening sky. Radio listeners, too, may have heard a series of beep, beep, beep sounds coming from their radios. An important event had occurred in the region of the Soviet Union known as Kazakhstan. The Soviets had launched an artificial satellite into orbit around Earth. The satellite was named Sputnik, Russian for traveling companion. It transmitted the beeping sounds as it followed its orbit around the globe. Rather than celebrating this historic scientific feat, Americans reacted with a great deal of fear. The fact that Sputnik had been launched using a missile capable of traveling a great distance terrified Americans. It was the time of the Cold War. United States relations were tense with the Soviet Union, which was an empire made up of Russia and several other countries under its control. Many people prepared for a Soviet attack with bomb shelters and duck and cover drills in school. It was widely believed that if the Soviets could launch a satellite into space, they probably could launch nuclear missiles capable of reaching U.S. shores. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Thousands rushed to stores to purchase bomb shelter kits. Congress responded by creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and by setting aside money for science education. Launch of Sputnik shocks America The successful launch shocked the United States. Americans had hoped that the United States would accomplish this scientific advancement first. The fact that the Soviets were successful fed fears that the U.S. military had generally fallen behind in developing new technology. As a result, the launch of Sputnik served to intensify the arms race and raise Cold War tensions. During the 1950s, both the United States and the Soviet Union were working to develop new technology. Nazi Germany had been close to developing the world s first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a missile capable of traveling thousands of miles, near the end of the Second World War. German scientists aided research in both countries after the war ended. The International Council of Scientific Unions called for the launch of satellite technology during late 1957 or 1958. Russia and the United States were engaged in developing satellites as a part of that goal. Over the course of the decade, the United States tested several varieties of rockets and missiles. All of these tests ended in failure. Soviet missile adds to U.S. fears The Soviet launch of the first Sputnik satellite was one accomplishment in a string of technological successes. At 184 pounds, the Soviet satellite was much heavier than anything the United States was developing at the time. Its successful launch was quickly followed by the launch of two additional satellites, including one that carried a dog into space. Together, these orbited Earth every 90 minutes and created fear that the United States lagged far behind in technological capability. These concerns were compounded when the United States learned that the Soviet Union also had tested the first intercontinental ballistic missile that year. President Dwight Eisenhower had tried to downplay the importance of the Sputnik launch to the American people. Meanwhile, he poured additional funds and resources into the space program in an effort to catch up. Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under President Eisenhower. The U.S. government suffered a severe setback in December of 1957 when its first artificial satellite, named Vanguard, exploded on the launch pad. The explosion reminded the country how far behind the Soviet military it was. At last, on January 31, 1958, the United States succeeded in launching its first satellite, the Explorer. Explorer was still smaller than Sputnik, but it went deeper into space. The Soviets responded with yet another launch, and the space race continued. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Cold War tensions help elect Kennedy The success of Sputnik had a major impact on the Cold War and the United States. Fear that they had fallen behind led U.S. policymakers to accelerate space and weapons programs. In the late 1950s, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev boasted about Soviet technological superiority and growing stockpiles of ICBMs. The United States worked at the same time to develop its own ICBMs to counter what it assumed was a growing stockpile of Soviet missiles directed against the United States. In this way, the launch of Sputnik fueled both the space race and the arms race. Each country worked to prepare new methods of attacking the other. Eventually, American politicians successfully exploited the tension over nuclear weapons in the 1960 presidential election. When President John F. Kennedy took office in 1961, the United States fell farther behind. The Soviets had already placed a dog in space ( Muttnik to the U.S. press), and in Kennedy s first year, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to orbit the Earth. Kennedy challenged the American people and government to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Congress responded enthusiastically by appropriating billions of dollars for the effort. During Kennedy s administration, Alan Shepard became the first American to enter space, and John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. In 1969, many thought of President Kennedy s challenge when Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot on the moon. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 Which of the following answer choices would BEST describe Americans' reaction to the Sputnik launch? It created a need to make peace with the Soviet Union. It created scientific curiosity. It caused admiration of the Soviet Union. It caused fear of the Soviet Union. 2 How does the article develop the idea that the U.S. often made decisions in reaction to the Soviet Union? by describing the Soviets' technology and the American response to it by explaining how the Cold War began between the Soviet Union and the U.S. by highlighting the shared technology between the Soviet Union and the U.S. by emphasizing the danger of ICBMs in the hands of the Soviet Union 3 Read the selection from the section "Cold War tensions help elect Kennedy." Kennedy challenged the American people and government to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Congress responded enthusiastically by appropriating billions of dollars for the effort. What is the meaning of the word "appropriating" as used in the selection? to act using proper manners to set aside money for the space race to spend money that is borrowed from the Soviet Union to act according to rules set by the government This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 Read the sentence from the section "Launch of Sputnik shocks America." Russia and the United States were engaged in developing satellites as a part of that goal. Which two words or phrases would BEST replace "engaged in" and "goal" in the sentence above? competing in; process arguing over; achievement cooperating in; mission occupied with; objective This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5