Humans have always been fascinated by space. We often call it “the final frontier” because it’s so vast and still mostly undiscovered. It was perhaps this very idea of the “final frontier” that led to one of the greatest races of all time: the race to the Moon.
Not long after World War II, the United States (or the “Americans”) entered a rivalry with the USSR (or the “Soviets”) that lasted 45 years. This conflict became known as the Cold War, even though no actual battles were fought between the two countries. Once the USSR began creating rockets, the U.S. wondered if the Soviets were trying to spy on them from space. They quickly began making rockets of their own. Before anyone knew it, the U.S. and USSR were locked in a Space Race, launching a new age of exploration.
The Soviet Space Program
Both the Soviets and the Americans started a space program. Each had a mission to get to space and land a man on the Moon. From the start, the Soviets seemed to have the upper hand. They based their spacecraft off the technology used by the Nazis, who had tried to develop a rocket. This gave the Soviets a head start on the Americans.
Since the USSR and the Americans were at war, much of the Soviet space program was hidden from public view. To this day, we can’t know the exact details of the Soviet space program and what they hoped to achieve. What we do know for sure is that the Soviets kicked off the race with a bang when they launched a 185-pound silver satellite called Sputnik.
On October 4, 1957, fear struck the hearts of the American people as the Soviets sent the first man-made satellite into space. Sputnik was a small satellite that made a big impact on the Space Race. It was the size of a beach ball, weighed about 184 lb and was able to orbit the Earth in 98 minutes.
The New York Times called the launch of Sputnik the “greatest deed of Soviet science.” In other papers, they called it “a turning point in civilization” and said that “man is no longer confined to his planet.”
Since the Soviets had control of the skies, the Americans feared that the Soviets could now spy on them from space. The world was rocked once again when, just a month later, Sputnik II was launched carrying a very important passenger: Laika, the dog.
After the first Sputnik launch, although the Soviets now had the upper hand, they wanted to take things one step further. They wanted to answer the question: “Could a living creature survive in space?” The Soviet scientists (who were off celebrating the launch of Sputnik) were quickly called back and asked to create a second satellite that could support a living creature. Oh, and they had only one month to do it!
With the New York Times running articles in America praising the success of the USSR, the pressure was on for a second Soviet mission.
As Sputnik II was taking shape, they designed it so a small dog could survive in the nose of the satellite. A special spacesuit was created that provided oxygen, food, and water and would protect the dog from the elements of space. A small camera system was also built so the dog could be monitored at all times. While several dogs were in training for the journey to space, one stood out from the rest. Laika was ultimately chosen for the extraordinary task. Her peaceful personality made her perfect for the mission. During launch, the sweet dog remained calm as she was sent into orbit, becoming the first living creature in space.
The U.S. Space Program
With space exploration on everyone’s mind, the U.S. created a program to send a human into space. The USSR had already launched Sputnik, so it was America’s turn to make a move. Two years after Sputnik left Earth’s atmosphere, NASA launched Project Mercury. The mission was simple: to get a man and a spacecraft into space and have them safely return. But before they could pull it off, news hit that the USSR had succeeded in launching the first man into space. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first of many Soviet cosmonauts in space. It seemed that no matter how hard they tried, the U.S. was falling behind in the Space Race.
One year after the USSR put a man in space, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. While America was still behind in the race, they seemed determined, now more than ever, to make their mark in space. NASA launched the Gemini Project to gather information on getting a person to the Moon. Unlike the spacecraft in Project Mercury, Gemini spacecraft were much larger and could hold two astronauts instead of one. It was during these Gemini missions that NASA gained experience and learned how to put a man into space.
It was not long before Project Apollo was underway. The goal of the Apollo Project was to send a person where no living human or creature had been before: the Moon. To succeed, the Americans had to land a man on the Moon and make sure that the crew returned safely to Earth. If they could do this, the Americans would not only make their mark in history, but they would beat the Soviets. With preparations made, NASA began inching closer to their ultimate goal.
Since no man had ever trained for spaceflight, astronauts were chosen with extreme care. Each astronaut had to become an expert in a specific part of the spacecraft. From navigation and communication to flying the spacecraft, each astronaut had to master their role for the mission to be a success. In the end, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin were the men chosen to fly Apollo 11, the mission that would change the course of human history forever.
The Moonwalkers
It seemed like an unspoken rule that whoever made it to the Moon first would be the victor of the Space Race. Scientists from both countries worked and trained hard to ensure they had the right data to land someone on the Moon.
Perhaps it was luck, determination, or maybe a little bit of both, but on July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to land on the Moon. The event was broadcast on television, and the world watched in amazement as Neil Armstrong uttered the famous words:
“That’s one small step for man;
one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin were
the first to land on
the Moon in the
lunar rover while
Michael Collins kept
the spacecraft in
orbit around the
Moon.
When Armstrong spoke these unforgettable words, cosmonauts in the Soviet Union broke out in applause as they watched history in the making. Even though the Soviets had hoped this moment would be theirs, one Soviet cosmonaut remembers that “everyone forgot that we were citizens of different countries on Earth...that moment really united the human race.” The Soviets may have lost the race, but the world won a huge victory in that moment.
The New Space Race
Although the Space Race between the U.S. and USSR has been over for several decades, a new space race has started: the race to Mars. The current race to Mars has many different motivations. Some want to find life on Mars, while others hope to create a colony for humans to live on the Red Planet. While we do not know if, when, or how humans will reach Mars, one thing is clear: a new era of space exploration has begun.