Beginning in the late 1950s, the USA and USSR began an intense competition to reach outer space. The Space Race, as it became known, led to technological achievements and milestones in human history.
Today, letโs discuss the space race, the first humans in space and on the moon, the new space race that is developing right now, and learn some useful space related vocabulary!
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Vocabulary
- Orbit (noun/verb): The curved path of an object or spacecraft around a star, planet, or moon.
- The satellite was placed into orbit around the Earth
- Lunar (adjective): Relating to the moon.
- The lunar module safely landed on the moon’s surface.
- Satellite (noun): A man-made object placed in orbit around a planet, moon, or star.
- The launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, marked the beginning of the Space Race.
- To launch (verb): To send a spacecraft, missile, or other object into the air or space.
- NASA plans to launch a new satellite next month to monitor climate changes.
- Civilian (noun/adjective): A person not in the armed services or the police force; relating to non-military purposes.
- NASA was established as a civilian space agency, focusing on peaceful space exploration.
- Spacewalk (noun): An activity where an astronaut moves outside their spacecraft while in space.
- The astronaut conducted a spacewalk to repair the solar panels on the International Space Station.
- Milestone (noun): A significant stage or event in the development or progress of something.
- Yuri Gagarinโs first orbit of the Earth was a major milestone in human space exploration.
The Beginnings of the Space Race
In the aftermath of World War II, the USA and Soviet Union entered the Cold War. The two great powers began competing and challenging each other in various different ways. They fought each other in proxy wars, attempted to expand their influence and power, and prove who had the best economic, social, and political system.
Both superpowers were eager to demonstrate their technological and ideological superiority. The Space Race, the attempt to leave our planet’s atmosphere and ultimately put humans in space, became a key arena for this competition.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, both the USA and the USSR were developing their rocket technology. They benefited from the advancements made by Nazi Germany during the war.
Many people donโt know this, but both the USA and USSR brought Nazi scientists into their rocket programmes.
For example, through Operation Paper Clip, a secret United States intelligence programme, 1600 scientists and engineers were taken from Germany to work for the US government after 1945. This included Wernher von Braun, a senior Nazi party figure who led Germanyโs rocket programmes during the Second World War and then went on to become one of the leading figures in NASAโs attempts to reach outer space.
Sputnik
The Soviet Union took an early lead in the attempt to reach outer space.
On October 4, 1957, they launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. This was a basketball-sized satellite. While it was a very simple satellite by today’s standards, it was a monumental achievement.
It orbited the Earth every 96 minutes, and its radio pulses could be detected by radio operators around the world.
Sputnik 1 stunned the global community and marked the beginning of the space age and the start of the Space Race.
The launch of Sputnik 1 had a major impact on the United States. The US was also in the process of developing a satellite, but their project was way over budget and severely delayed. Many American government officials and scientists believed that the USSR was probably facing similar struggles, so the news in 1957 was a massive shock.
It triggered a sense of urgency and a fear of falling behind across the United States. Sales on binoculars and telescopes across the States increased as people tried to see the satellite as it travelled through the nights sky.
In response, the U.S. government accelerated its own space efforts.
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. NASA was founded as a civilian space agency (meaning not military) to coordinate America’s activities in space.
This was a critical step in better organising the U.S. space program, which had previously been divided and split across various different military and civilian agencies.
In addition to the creation of NASA, the U.S. government also increased funding for scientific research and education.
The National Defence Education Act was passed in 1958 to improve American schools and promote the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This was seen as essential for developing the skilled workforce needed to compete with the Soviet Union in space exploration and other high-tech fields.
Key Milestones in the Space Race
The USSR’s Achievements:
Over the next few decades, the US and USSR raced to reach milestones before the other. Initially, the USSR was very successful in hitting their targets.
As mentioned earlier, the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, was the first significant milestone of the Space Race. Sputnik demonstrated the Soviet Union had advanced rocket technology with the ability to place a satellite into Earth’s orbit.
Later that year they launched Sputnik 2, containing a dog called Laika, that became the first animal in space.
In August 1960, Belka and Strelka, a pair of female dogs, were launched on a spacecraft called Vostrok and after 24 hours orbiting earth they returned safely to the ground via a parachute. They were the first animals to visit space and return alive.
The Soviet Unionโs Luna programme ran between 1959 and 1976 and achieved a lot of firsts regarding the moon: the first object to fly past the moon, the first manmade object to touch the surface of the moon, the first photographs of the far side of the moon.
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made history by becoming the first human to journey into outer space and orbit the Earth. Gagarin’s spacecraft, Vostok 1, completed one orbit around the planet. His mission made him an international hero and a symbol of Soviet space power.
The USSR also sent the first woman into space, with Valentina Tereshkova leaving the planet on June 16, 1963.
They also achieved the first spacewalk. They developed the first space suits that would allow their cosmonauts to leave the spacecrafts and float in space, and also the first spacecrafts capable of taking multiple people into space.
Alexei Leonov, in 1965, was the first human to float in space. He nearly died: his suit grew in size in the vacuum of space and he wasnโt able to enter the spacecraft again until he released oxygen from the suitโฆ but he eventually returned and achieved another first for the USSR.
The USA’s Achievements
For much of the space race, the USA was trying to catch up with the Soviet Unionโs achievements.
Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, 1961, a month after Yuri Gagarin became the first person. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth on February 20, 1962.
The US then launched the Gemini program which focused on developing and testing the technologies and techniques needed for longer spaceflights. The Gemini missions between 1965 and 1966 included the first American spacewalk by Ed White.
The Moon Landing
Apollo Programme
The pinnacle of the Space Race came with one of the most remarkable achievements in human history: the Apollo 11 moon landing.
While the US had trailed behind the USSR in most space related milestones, successfully landing a human on the moon was a significant victory for the United States.
In 1961, US President John F Kennedy publicly pledged to land a man on the moon. Soon after NASA launched the Apollo mission with the explicit intention to reach the moon.
The programme faced numerous challenges and setbacks. For instance, Apollo 1 caught fire, killing all three astronauts on board, before it even launched.
Despite these challenges, the Apollo mission was ultimately very successful. In December 1968, Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon, before Apollo 11 made history in 1969.
The Apollo 11 Mission:
The Apollo 11 mission was launched on July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Inside were a crew of three astronauts: Neil Armstrong, the mission commander; Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, the lunar module pilot; and Michael Collins, the command module pilot.
Their goal was very ambitious: to land on the moon and return safely to Earth.
After a successful launch, Apollo 11 travelled for four days to reach lunar orbit. Once in orbit around the moon, Armstrong and Aldrin moved to the lunar module while Collins remained in the command module.
On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin began to descend to the lunar surface.
As the lunar module approached its landing site in the Sea of Tranquillity, Armstrong and Aldrin encountered several issues, including a computer overload and the need to manually pilot the module to avoid a boulder-strewn area.
Finally, at 20:17 UTC, Armstrong announced, “Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
A few hours later, Neil Armstrong made history. As he set foot on the moon’s surface, he uttered the now-famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Buzz Aldrin soon joined him on the surface, and together, they spent approximately two and a half hours exploring, conducting experiments, and collecting samples.
The Apollo 11 moon landing was a monumental achievement for several reasons.
It showcased the technological prowess of NASA and the USA.
It represented the potential of human ability and determination. It inspired generations of scientists, engineers, and dreamers to pursue careers in space exploration.
In the context of the Cold War, the moon landing was a significant victory for the United States. While the USSR had been dominating the space race since its beginning, the USA ultimately won by reaching the moon first.
The success of Apollo 11 led to more moon missions, until the world became less excited and the space race became less politically important.
The New Space Race
For decades, space was no longer a priority for the major powers. As the Cold War ended, the USA and Russia even began collaborating extensively: they built the international space station, launched joint missions, and the USA even used Russiaโs spacecraft to send things to space.
However, it now seems like we are in a new space race.
I recently read Tim Marshallโs book The Future of Geography which gave an extensive description about how space will be a major area of political competition in the future.
There are now more countries and powers in space. The USA is still a major power, and Russia still has space ambitions but struggles with resources.
Now, China, Europe, India, the UAE, Japan, and other countries are also investing heavily in space. Private companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, have also entered the space race.
NASA and China both have ambitions to reach the moon again. The US has launched the Artemis programme with the intention to send the first women and next man to the moon. China has successfully landed and returned lunar samples with its Chang’e missions and plans to establish a lunar base.
Mars exploration is also a major theme. In 2020, the USA, China, and the UAE all had missions reach Mars, with the American and Chinese spacecrafts landing on the planet. Elon Muskโs SpaceX aims to transport humans to Mars as well.
Space tourism is a growing business. Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have both successfully conducted suborbital flights with civilians.
There will likely be more competition and challenges in space, as different countries expand and explore further.
We will eventually face issues of who controls and owns certain parts of space. Who owns the moon? Who owns resources found on asteroids? Who has responsibility over the trash and junk floating in space?
What happens when weapons and war spreads in outer space? Who regulates private companies in space? If Elon Musk manages to send people to Mars, what laws will they be subject to?
The new space race is about more than just reaching milestones. It is about controlling and exploiting the resources and potential of space. And there are new, well-funded, and powerful players in the game!
Final Thought
This episode has looked at the Space Race and the landing of the first man on the moon. I then discussed a little about the new space race and the competition to control and dominate outer space.
This is a fascinating topic. The Space Race was a major feature of international science and politics 60 years ago, and the new Space Race has the potential to dominate the next decades.
What do you think?
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