In 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite into space

1. In 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite into space Sputnik shocked Americans who feared the U.S. had fallen behind the USSR in science & technology As a result of Sputnik, the Cold War escalated into a space race to show American & Soviet dominance

2. In 1958, the USA created National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) to catch up to the USSR… The USSR repeatedly beat the USA in space by launching the first man into orbit & orbiting the moon …U.S. schools promoted math, science, & technology NASA’s original seven NASA Mercury astronauts

3. Analyze and Discuss • Flip to the back of your worksheet and answer the two questions under the political cartoons.

4. Satellite 1958 Alpha – Explorer I • Explorer 1 was The US answer to the Soviet Sputnik • Launched on January 31, 1958 • Explorer 1 was the first successful satellite launched by the United States • Unlike Sputnik, which could only orbit and emit a “beep beep” radio signal, Explorer 1 was actually useful • It could gather information about the planet and send the information back to a receiver on the ground.

5. Vanguard Explorer

6. Impact • The successful launch of Explorer 1 instilled pride in America, and reassured the citizens that Eisenhower did not dismiss the Soviet’s progress in space as non-threatening • Launching Explorer 1 into orbit made it very clear to both the United States and the Soviet Union that the Space Race had begun • It laid the foundation for future satellites to collect more information about Earth’s atmospheric conditions

7. Lunar landing – The Soviet • The Soviet showed a greater pushabout human visits to the Moon. • Korolev, the Soviet Space Agency's chief designer, had started promoting his Soyuz craft and the N1 craft rocket that had the capacity for a manned Moon landing. • In 1964 the new Soviet leadership gave Korolev the backing for a Moon landing effort and brought all manned projects under his direction. • The failure of the first Soyuz flight was in 1967. • The failures of the N1 booster in 1969.

8. Lunar landing – The U.S. • Americans proposed joint programs, such as a Moon landing by Soviet and American astronauts and improved weather-monitoring satellites, but the Soviet rejected these ideas. -In 1969, Apollo 11 landed U.S. astronauts on the moon -American Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the lunar surface • The event was watched by over 500 million people around the world.

9. The Soviet missions to other planets • The Soviet Union first sent planetary probes to both Venus and Mars in 1960. • The Soviet's Venera 7 became the first craft to land on Venus in 1971. • Venera 9 transmitted the first pictures from the surface of another planet. • Mars 3 was the first spacecraft to land on Mars in 1971 by the Soviet Union, but it did not return pictures.

10. U.S. missions to other planets • U.S.'s Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to successfully fly by Venus on December 14, 1962 • The U.S.’s Mariner 10 was the first and the only spacecraft to fly by Mercury in 1974. • Mariner 4 became the first probe to Mars in 1965 and it transmitted completely unexpected images. • The U.S.’s Pioneer 10 had a successful flight by Jupiter in 1973 and Pioneer 11 by Saturn in 1979.