COLD WAR COMPETITION: Both superpowers (USA and USSR) spent huge sums of money on scientific research, development of weapons and The Space Race​, By being the first superpower to achieve great feats they would ‘prove’ the superiority of their system over their opponent’s., New technology developed (such as computers) could be used in other areas of both military and civilian life.​, SPUTNIK: Early success for Soviets = launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, on 4 October 1957., It was able to transmit a faint radio signal back to Earth., It came as a huge surprise to the US and they became concerned that the Soviets had moved ahead and there was now a ‘missile gap’ between them, THE 1ST MAN IN SPACE: Success for Soviets - 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth and landed safely on his return., The US sent John Glenn into orbit in February 1962, May 1961, Kennedy told US Congress their aim was ‘before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth’.​, THE MOON LANDINGS: NASA launched the Gemini and Apollo missions to develop the technology needed to reach, land on and return from the moon. ​, Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on 16 July 1969 with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins on board., ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’, RESULTS OF THE MOON LANDINGS : The US clearly ‘won’ the space race. , This gave America a huge propaganda victory., Paved the way for the revolution in satellite communications and computers in the 1970s and 1980s.​,

1960s - Space Race

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