Nuclear Armsand Space Race

NATO vs. Warsaw Pact

•Conventional issue – The defense of Europe

•Arm to “prevent war – by deterring the other side

•The nuclear trump card!

Events Leading to the Space and Nuclear Arms

Race• World War II ended in 1945 and the Cold War

began• The Cold War was a political competition

between the United States and the U.S.S.R. in which the two countries fought for military leadership

• Tension was high during the Cold War due to a lack of substantiated information; rumors, mistrust, and misunderstandings fueled the war.

ARMS RACE•Big Defense Budgets

•Conventional Forces Buildup

•Conventional Forces (tanks, armies, etc.)

•Nuclear forces (bombs, missiles, and civil defense)

Nuclear Arms Race• H-bomb 1000 times more powerful than 1945

atomic bomb

• Deterrence – more and bigger warheads

• Massive Retaliation – promise of escalation

• MAD – mutual assured destruction

The Soviet’s Get The Atomic Bomb

• The next goal each nation competed for was the creation of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) which could deliver a nuclear weapon from the nation's soil to its enemy's cities and military bases.

Sputnik• On October 4,

1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, into orbit around the earth.

Sputnik

• Sputnik weighed 184 pounds and was 23 inches in diameter. It sent out a "beep-beep" radio signal through its four antennas that scientists and ham radio operators throughout the world could hear.

• Sputnik’s signal continued until the transmitter batteries ran out on October 26, 1957.

Sputnik

• Sputnik remained in orbit until January 4, 1958, but burned up when re-entering earth’s atmosphere

• Following Sputnik’s successful orbit, the Soviets launched a series of Sputnik’s.

Sputnik• Sputnik II, launched on

November 3, 1957, carried a dog named Laika on board. Laika was the first living organism in space. She survived for only a few hours instead of the planned ten days because of overheating and stress.

The United State’s Reaction to Sputnik

• President Eisenhower felt that Sputnik was insignificant. However, many people disagreed and felt that it was a step closer to a nuclear attack by the Russians.

• At this point, the Soviets were basically winning the space race. The president was able to recognize this, and sent a bill to congress to form NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Congress passed the bill.

• Senator Lyndon Johnson played an important role in the effort to get the bill passed. He later became president of the united states after John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

The First Man To Orbit The Earth

• On April 12, 1961, Yuri A. Gagarin was launched into space aboard the Soviet vessel Vostok I, making him the first human to orbit the earth.

The First Man To Orbit The Earth

• The ship made a single orbit around the earth, and the flight only lasted about 1 hour 28 minutes.

• This was another great victory for the Soviet Union and a big step towards defeating the U.S. in the space race.

The New U.S. President• In January of 1961, John F. Kennedy was

inaugurated president of the U.S.• Kennedy wanted some substantial

victory that would demonstrate America’s superiority over Russia.

• He announced on May 25, 1961 that he planned to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade

• Congress agreed to fund this goal.

The First American In Space• On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard

became the first American in space.• Launched on top of a Redstone missile,

he made a short, suborbital flight in a Mercury capsule.

• Later, on February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth.