Space Race

Which country was first to launch a satellite in space and have a man in orbit?

• China

• Soviet Union

• Germany

• United States

What was John F. Kennedy's goal with the Space Race?

• To have the fastest spacecraft ever

• To be the first to Mars

• To be the first to send a man to the moon

• To colonize the moon

Why would Russia want to send a dog into space before a person?

• They wanted to see if dogs could live in space to be the astronaut’s pet.

• They wanted to make sure living things could survive before risking a person’s life.

• Dogs are smaller so they were cheaper to send into space.

• Dogs weigh less so it takes less space and less fuel to space.

In which mission did the US first land a man on the moon?

• Explorer

• Apollo 11

• Sputnik 1

• Challenger

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

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

Who was the first man to set foot on the moon?

• Buzz Aldrin

• John Glenn

• Neil Armstrong

• None of these