What was the Space Race?
Q: What was the Space Race?
A: The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War enemies, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US), to achieve better spaceflight capability than the other. It had its origins in the intercontinental ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the two nations following World War II.
Q: When did the Space Race begin?
A: The competition began on August 2, 1955, when the Soviet Union responded to the US announcement four days earlier of intent to launch artificial satellites during the "International Geophysical Year" (July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958).
Q: What were some of the achievements of each country during this time?
A: The Soviet Union achieved several early firsts such as launching an artificial satellite, sending a human into space, and having flight durations measured in days instead of hours. Meanwhile, The US demonstrated superior technology by achieving flights up to two weeks long; rendezvous and docking in space; astronauts working outside spacecraft; and using high-energy liquid hydrogen as rocket fuel in their Saturn rockets.
Q: What was John F Kennedy's goal for his country?
A: John F Kennedy set a goal for his country that they would land a man on Moon and return him safely back to Earth.
Q: Was this goal achieved?
A: Yes! This goal was acheived with Apollo 11 mission which sent three men into space and landed two of them on Moon - a singular achievement far outweighing any combination of Soviet achievements.
Q: How did relations between USSR and US change after Apollo 11 mission?
A: After Apollo 11 mission there was a period of détente where both countries agreed to cooperate on Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). This eventually led to joint development of an international docking standard APAS-75 as well as Shuttle-Mir Program and International Space Station programs between US & Russian Federation.
