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Space Race

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• For most of the

second half of the

20th century, a cold

war raged between

the world's two

superpowers.

• While battles were

never fought on either

country's land, plans

were made to take

the war into the high

frontier of outer

space.

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Space Race

• The Space Race was an informal

competition between the United

States and the Soviet Union that

lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975.

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• The Soviet leader Nikita

Khrushchev and the

American presidents

Dwight Eisenhower, John

Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson

and Richard Nixon all

agreed that conquering

outer space was very

important.

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• October 4, 1957 the Soviet

Union launched Sputnik, the first

artificial satellite, into orbit.

– Americans worried this would give

the USSR an advantage in space

and the Cold War

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• University science programs grew.

• Federal aid to education increased.

• New industries and

technologies began.

• Technology, especially

in aerospace

engineering and

electronic communication,

advanced.

Federal Aid to Education Increased

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• January 31, 1958, the U.S.

launched Explorer I, its first

satellite.

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Explorer I

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NASA

• On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower

signed the National Aeronautics and Space

Act of 1958 establishing the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) to conduct space research it began

operations October 1, 1958.

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• President Kennedy wanted to beat the

Soviets to the moon. On May 21, 1961,

speaking about the prospect of sending

astronauts to the moon, Kennedy said,

"…No single space project in this period will

be more impressive to mankind, or more

important for the long-range exploration of

space. And none will be so difficult or

expensive to accomplish."

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• 1959 The Soviet Union launches Luna II.

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• This is the first space probe to hit the

moon.

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• April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri

A. Gagarin is first man in space

First Russian

Cosmonaut

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First Woman

Cosmonaut

• 1963 The Soviet Union sent Soviet cosmonaut

Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in

space.

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• Alan Shepard was one of the

Mercury astronauts named by

NASA in April 1959.

First American

in Space

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• He was the first American to journey into space.

On May 5, 1961, Mercury

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (top

right, headed to launch) blasted off

in his Freedom 7 capsule atop a

Mercury-Redstone rocket (top left).

His 15-minute sub-orbital flight

made him the first American in

space.

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Satellite communications

• The first American communications

satellite, Project SCORE, launched on

December 18,1958, relayed a Christmas

message from President Eisenhower to

the world.

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The Apollo Program Journey to the moon

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• July 20, 1969 U.S astronaut

Neil Armstrong is first man

to walk on moon

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• “That's one small step for (a) man, one giant

leap for mankind.”

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Apollo 11 crew portrait. Left to right are Neil

Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin

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On the Moon

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The trip back to Earth

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The July 17, 1975 rendezvous of the Apollo

and Soyuz spacecraft traditionally marks the

end of the Space Race.

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Joint Apollo-Soyuz

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Synthetic

aperture radar

image of

Death Valley

using colored

polarimetry

• Today thousands of artificial satellites orbit earth, relaying communications data around the planet.

• Remote sensing of data on weather, vegetation, and human movements to nations who employ them is a result of the Space Race.

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• The micro-technology which fuels everyday activities from time-keeping to enjoying musiccomes from research during Space Race.

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• The U.S. became superior in electronics,

remote sensing, vehicle guidance, and

robotic control.

2/17/2010 31Robotics in car factory

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The Space Shuttle

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Pair Share• What event started the space race?

• What did the U.S. do to try to compete in the

space race?

• What is the name of the government agency

which carries out space programs?

• What is an example of how the space race has

affected your life?

• How are satellites used today?

• What was the first American satellite called?