Space+Race+Julie+1

=**The Space Race Julie-1**=


 * "The Space Race"** was the race to get a satellite into the Earth's orbit. It was a very frightening thing to Americans when the Russians launched Sputnik, the first satellite to enter the orbit around the earth. They thought that the Russians could then have a bomb right over the U.S. Keep reading and learn how and when the first satellite was launched, when Americans took action, and what Americans did to "protect" themselves from getting bombed.

=**Who launched their satellite first**=

On October 4, 1957 the Russians launched the first satellite to make it into the Earth's orbit, Sputnik. This was a huge shock to the Americans because they had thought that Russia was poor and would never beat them. Americans panicked and made bomb shelters underground. Not that would protect them, but it would make them feel safer.

=**U.S.** **Launching**=

On December 6, 1957, America launches Kaputnik. It was not a success, it went up a few feet into the air and came right back down and busted into flames! And the satellite just rolled off to the side. Americans were getting impatient. So on January 31, 1958 the U.S. launched a 31 pound satellite named Explorer 1. Ninty minutes later they found out that "Goldstone has the bird" (in other words Explorer 1 has entered the orbit!).



= =

=American Protection (expansion)=

When the Russians launched their satellite into the orbit, Americans were scared that the Russians were going to bomb them from their satellite. They were so scared that they made bomb shelters to protect them. But that wouldn’t protect them because if an atomic bomb were dropped everything would be destroyed. But, they were mainly were used to comfort them. (So they wouldn't freak out.)

In the bomb shelters, that were built under ground, people would include water jugs, filter, food, table, beds, sewing machine for the ladies, etc. It would be located a few feet underground, but today's version is located 100 feet underground. //back then// //Now//

=The importance of this topic= This topic is important because it tells us how far we have come in technology and how we need to improve. We have moved along in technology in a short amount of time. This matters because then we can move along in the future and improve our inventions and also make new ones. We need to improve our inventions so that they do not break as much. So, the U.S.'s rushing to get a rocket into the earth's orbit was not a good idea because if you take your time it will be more efficient and you will understand how you made your project. But its not all bad that we made mistakes in the past because we learned from them. And now we will not do the same mistakes as we did, which helps us improve and expand.

Source Citation: "Space Race." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Cook Memorial Public Library. 7 Feb. 2007 <[|http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ1667500649&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=ccscm&version=1.0>.]

Source Citation: "Sputnik: U.S. Reaction, 1957." DISCovering U.S. History. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Cook Memorial Public Library. 7 Feb. 2007 <[|http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ2104240345&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=ccscm&version=1.0>.]

Book: Kuhn, betsy. The Space Race. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2007