The Space Race

What caused the space race between the Soviets and Americans?

• The need to demonstrate technological and military superiority

• Pressure from other countries to advance space exploration

• Competition for access to scarce resources in space

• Improved relations as a result of nuclear weapons treaties

What TWO anxieties in America caused the U.S. to commit resources to the Space Race?

• Fear in being surpassed technologically by the Soviets

• Economic concerns about not investing enough in science

• Anxiety about a missile gap between the U.S. and the Soviets

• Worries about allowing the Soviets to get resources from space

How did the U.S. respond to the early space achievements of the Soviets?

• By creating NASA and investing in science and math education.

• By initiating diplomatic talks to collaborate on space exploration

• By reducing its own space exploration efforts to focus on other priorities

• By threatening to create weapons to destroy Soviet satellites

What early achievements did the Soviets enjoy in the Space Race?

• Only launching the first satellite into space

• Launching the first satellite, animal, and human into space

• Achieving the first spacewalk in human history

• Completing the first successful moon landing

What major achievement did the U.S. enjoy in response to Soviet space exploration?

• Launching the first satellite

• Completing the first human orbit of Earth

• Launching the first animal into space

• Successfully landing humans on the moon

Why did the missile gap matter so much to the Americans?

• It was a major driver in improving the wartime economy

• Technology used to explore space could also be used to launch nuclear weapons

• It led to the development of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

• It was a key factor in the Cuban Missile Crisis