Why Sputnik Failed

By examining the two nations’ early space technology, it is evident that Russia was initially superior in this regard. Launching the world’s first-ever artificial satellite — called Sputnik I — in October of 1957, the USSR chalked

On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union shocked the people of the United States by successfully launching the first Earth orbiting satellite, Sputnik. America's first satellite

The launch of the Sputnik had such a big impact on America because “America thought of themselves as the world’s technological leaders” (Richerme 35). Also “the Soviets, after all, were not supposed to be good at technology” (DeGroot 3). This scared America and brought them into a big crisis or as some call a race. This race was known as the space race and it was a very long and twisted path that it bared on its shoulders.

On October 4th, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first ever satellite, Sputnik. The launch of Sputnik sent the United States into a frenzy, beginning the Space Race, and the innovation of technology as a whole. The Space Race most importantly had a major impact on the evolution of the United States’s defense technologies through the launch of Sputnik. The Space Race sparked the United States battle for technological superiority against the USSR, and lead to improvizations in their satellite and satellite defense technologies.

According to Doc A "Sputnik came as a surprise to most Americans". Not only did "Sputnik came as a surprise to most Americans" Sputnik also struck fear into many Americans. Americans even prepared for a nuclear war, they also made a video called "Duck and Cover"(you can find it here " https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60 "). Around this time Dr. Wernher Von Braun made a full scale model of Explorer 1, replicating the first satellite by the U.S.(Doc E). While in a rush to catch up with The Soviet Union, and on December 6th, 1957 while in a rush to catch up, the U.S. sent the Vanguard rocket attempting to get the rocket to space quickly the U.S. rushed causing the rocket to turn into a fireball on TV.

Well before Russia thought about launching Sputnik into space, there had been quite a bit of tension between America and the Soviet Union. The two countries had been allies in World War II, but they had a very tense relationship with one another. Americans were leery with the communist government that the Soviets had and their leader, Joseph Stalin. The Soviets despised the fact that America refused to acknowledge the USSR as an actual international society. With this being said, by the time World War II was ended and over with, each country’s hatred grew creating an overpowering sense of spite and belligerence. Therefore, these tensions led to the start of the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union. The Cold War was an atomic age, meaning that the two countries developed and tested atomic weapons like the ones used during World War II, which forged stakes that were severely high. The Cold War led to advancements in not only atomic weapons or just weapons in general, but advancements in technology, which we see with the launch of Sputnik.

As stated in document A, the reaction of the Soviets launching Sputnik 1, which was the first ever satellite sent in to space, was more fear than surprise because it then showed that the United States ocean barriers weren’t enough to keep the Soviet Union away. Also that the Americans could no longer say that Russia was behind them in technology, as it took them 4 years to catch up with our atomic bomb, 9 months for our hydrogen bomb, and now we are trying to catch up to their satellite as stated in document B.

After the USSR launched Sputnik 1, man Americans were frightened by what they would do next. “...(the launch of Sputnik) showed clearly that the United States was no longer safe behind it’s ocean barriers.” (Document A) America had long relied on the oceans to keep European and Asian powers at bay, however, when the Soviets entered and took control of space, the US was surrounded and the Soviets could bomb them from any location. The US wanted to regain control of the situation so the Vanguard, a rocket with a more advanced satellite than anything seen before, was set to be launched on live television (Document F) The rocket fired but it fell back down, collapsed, and exploded for the world to watch. Americans were humiliated by this disaster, however they knew they must continue to fight communism, which meant beating them in the Space Race. During this time Americans became extremely anti-soviet and anti-communist, which continued long after this and still exists

After World War II drew to a close in the mid-20th century, a new conflict began. Known as the Cold War, this battle involved the two world’s greatest powers the democratic and capitalist United States against the communist Soviet Union. Beginning later in the 1950s, space would eventually become another very dramatic arena for competition between the U.S and U.S.S.R, each side looked to prove the superiority of their own technology, along with its military firepower and of course their political-economic systems. Sputnik, name of the first of several artificial satellites launched by the Soviet Union from 1957 to 1961. Successfully launched and entered Earth 's orbit. Thus, beginning the space age. The successful launch shocked the

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik, and the space race was on. The Soviet’s triumph jarred the American people and sparked a vigorous response in the federal government to make sure the United States did not fall behind its communist rival.

Americans not only feared the spreading of communism, but also felt threatened by the Soviet Union’s domination of technological advances in missile development and other developments. As Document E presents, the problems with massive retaliation was the large gap in missile development, since the Soviet Union will soon be able to access American missile bases in 35 minutes or less in the near future. Other Soviet advances included, the first Earth satellite launching on October 4, 1957, known as Sputnik. This had also added to the growing anxiety that the Soviet Union was a step ahead of the United States in regards to the space program. In response to the launch of Sputnik, in Document G,

Sputnik I was a man-made object the former Soviet Union successfully launched into space on October 4th, 1957. The beach ball sized satellite surprised the world, because it was the first artificial satellite to reach space, and the Soviet Union was very humbly proud. This launched the space race. The United States wanted to prove superiority over the Soviet Union in every aspect, so shortly after the launch, Washington announced plans to send a United States satellite into space. However, during the early years of the space race, a little over 50% of Americans did not support it.

Sputnik 1 orbited the Earth every 98 minutes, flying over the United States seven times a day.(Danielle Burton) During the Cold war the launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union in October 1957 created a fear in the United States.The United states feared that nuclear warheads could soon come. In response the United States created and funded the National Defense Education Act(NDEA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA). The United States and the Soviet Union were at the start of an arms race and a space race. The funds for NASA were excellent, because the United states had a lot of fear after seeing what the Soviet Union was doing.

In September of 1957, the Soviet Union began testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBM’s, due to the Cold War and to show their technological advances leasing to the Space Race. The United States knew that the Soviets had the capability of building these missiles, but didn’t think they actually could (Barbree). Then on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite known by the name of Sputnik, and sent the United States into a frenzy. Sputnik impacted the United States socially, politically, and economically.

The Soviets wanted to study the earth’s atmosphere, the behavior of animals in space, and the testing of rocket technology. Russia launched Sputnik 1, which carried a dog, into space. This helped to understand how humans might react in space and through the reentry process. The United States was urged to invest more of their money and resources into its space program, generating a race between the two countries to land a person on the moon. The whole race started on October 4, 1957, when the first Sputnik was launched. This satellite weighed about 184 pounds and the official name of it was "Iskustvennyi Sputnik Zemli" (1). Which meant "fellow world traveler of the earth". To counteract the United States’ launch of the Explorer 1, a satellite that included a rocket motor, the Russian’s responded with Sputnik 3 on May 15, 1958. The first three Sputnik satellites all carried instruments to measure the temperature and density of the earth’s upper atmosphere. Solar energy was used for the first time by Sputnik 3 to power its instruments and transmitters.