The+Space+Race+and+Schools-p5

== By: Collin

===The Cold War was a time of high tension and distress. At these times most U.S. citizens were trying to help us stay in the lead against Russia. One of these struggles was in the race to space. This was a battle to get very advanced technology and was a strive forward for the world but in order to retain the lead of science the U.S. had to put a little extra effort into this stride.=== === With the launch of Sputnik on Oct. 4, 1957 the Space Race began! Even though Sputnik measured less than 2 feet, the Space Race was upon the United States. Whichever country could develop their space program faster would lay claim to the power of the world. Not only with scientific power but with military power. The threat of a space attack scared many citizens around the world. If you could get people in to space there was a huge possibility to get weapons into space. So it wasn't only a press for science but also military.=== ===In December 1957 the US tried to launch a satellite but during lift off it exploded. The very next month the U.S. successfully launched Explorer 1. It went into orbit with no problems. This was a huge breakthrough for the U.S. and it pushed them into the lead. After starting the Mercury program the U.S. created NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in October of 1958.===

===Even with these achievements Russia was also developing their space programs very well. With Russia doing so good on May 25, 1961 John F. Kennedy made it a national goal to land on the moon and return by the end of the decade. Even though this was a surprise to many, the U.S. was excited to complete this goal. And with this energy John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth (in 1961).=== ===Apollo 11 was the winning mission. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the very first people ever to walk on the moon! July 20, 1969 marked the end of the space race. The United States declared themselves the first nation to reach the moon.===

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===The Space Race was one of the biggest scientific achievements in the history of the world. If this had never happened we wouldn't know as much as we do about the universe and the world we are on. By being the first nation to get on the moon we claimed world domination in power and science. Pushing this extreme advance in technology made our nation strive to have smarter people so we also advanced the educational programs so we could stay in the lead.===

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