The+Space+Race

=The Space Race= > The Space Race began when Russia launched the first rocket named //Sputnik 1// on October 4, 1957 into Earth's Orbit. After that day the U.S. was motivated to take part in the Space Race against Russia. After, Russia and America took turns improving the technology in space. Later on January 31, a few months after the launch of //Sputnik 1//, sent up a satellite made by von Braun and his team name //Explorer 1//, this satellite was the first American made satellite to go up into Earth's orbit. Two years later in August 1960 America surprised the Russians by sending up //Cho 1//, a communication satellite that could both receive and send signals across the United States. Although that was very exciting, Russia made a leap by sending two dogs (Strelka and Belka), forty mice, two rats, and many plants into Earth's orbit on August 19, 1960 on //Sputnik 5//, after spending one day in Earth's orbit they returned safely back to Earth with no harm what so ever done to them. NASA then did an experiment on January 31 in 1961 when they sent a chimpanzee (Ham) into Earth's orbit to see if he could function properly without gravity. Although the rocket did break apart Ham landed on Earth by parachuting down. The Russians then surprised the Americans by sending up Yuri Gagarin on //Vostok 1// into Earth's orbit on April 12, 1961 making him the first man to go into space. > > Later on May 5, 1961 Alan Shepard was sent into Earth's orbit on the //Redstone// rocket by America. At first the race was to see who could be more advanced in space, but later, on May 25, 1961 Kennedy announced a national goal, to land a human on the moon and return him home safely by the end of the decade. After the speech both Russia and U.S. created new programs to achieve the goal of landing a human on the moon. Both Russia's program (//Soyuz//) and America's program (//Apollo//) started off poorly bringing them both behind in the goal by a year and a half. //Apollo//, who had built a rocket called //Apollo 1// was testing it on the ground on January 27, 1967 when three astronauts (Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee) burned to death when the rocket caught on fire and reached up to one thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Later on April 23 of that same year Russia launched two rockets with one man in each rocket, Vladimir M. Komarov was aboard //Soyuz 1// and experienced technical difficulties with his rocket, before it plummeted to the ground he said good-bye to his wife and some co-workers, he died because of the heat before he actually hit the ground. > > The Space Race was won when the U.S. sent Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin into space on //Apollo 11//, it reached the moon on January 20, 1969. A month before that on Christmas Eve //Apollo 8// made it into the moon's orbit and sent back pictures to America. When Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin landed on the moon people all over the country were watching them back on Earth. Neil Armstrong then said these words "That's one small step for man, one giant step for man kind", the race was over, the U.S. had won the Space Race although exploration still continued after to other planets like Mars, Venus, Jupiter and all the other planets. > >