The Space Race
The date was July 31, 1956. The United States of America had just announced plans to launch an artificial satellite into earth orbit. Two days later, the communist collective known as the USSR did the same [1]. Although the USA had announced their goal first, the Russians beat them to it, launching Sputnik in late 1957, striking a blow to American confidence [2]. The next twelve years would be a whirlwind of technological innovation as both sides raced to exert control over the vast advantages that space granted, culminating with the placement of a man on the moon in 1969. The opposing political systems and beliefs of these two nations as well as their actions of dominance soon after the end of World War II had pitted them against …show more content…
Many high ranking military officials were forced to resign, and the launching of the Sputnik satellite was pivotal in the election of John F. Kennedy, a man who made the space race a national priority [3]. This upheaval in turn was the cause of a huge shift in the treatment of the technology involved. The creation of NASA, a governmental organization primarily concerned with the research and development of space transportation and technology advancement, is a key example of this turn towards welcoming engineering designed to reach the cosmos. Many engineers insisted that this opportunity of a new scientific domain could be “used worldwide for peaceful uses of benefit to all humankind, for communications, navigation, meteorology and other purposes” [4], and was not limited to military options. Soon after NASA’s creation, work began on the Mercury Project, with the goal of achieving human spaceflight. However, they were beaten again by the Russians, who launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit on April 12, 1961. It was almost year later that the US achieved an orbital flight, manned by John Glenn. This delay was largely due to a series of launch failures by the Mercury program, leading to heavy criticism [5]. However even the delayed success of manned orbit was enough to spur America into rapid development of the space program. As President John F. Kennedy stated in late 1962 in an address to Rice …show more content…
The sound of Sputnik beeping overhead, presented on a NBC radio broadcast, was the first public exposure of these possibilities, and created conflicting beliefs among the American public. There were some, such as young Paul Dickson, who believed that it “was the starter 's pistol in an exciting new race” [7]. However, there many who saw it as a blow to American technology and values. This event may have caused a resurgence in research and development from the government, but if anything it did the opposite for technology elsewhere. Concerned that the engineering talent was being wasted on frivolities, citizens boycotted such ideas such as unnecessary consumption, effectively killing off the decadent automobile stylings of the era [8]. As more time passed, there was certainly an increase in awareness, but this didn’t necessarily lead to an increase in support. Many Americans still believed the space race was an overly costly venture, and didn’t hold any significance to average members of society. The popularity of social science at the time fostered an increase in the need for social surveyance, which is the reason for this knowledge on the public indifference [9]. Additionally, there was an interest in the way mass media affected the populace, and the Space Race presented an interesting case study on this subject. Findings showed that news networks such as NBC, ABC, and CBS may
The date was July 31, 1956. The United States of America had just announced plans to launch an artificial satellite into earth orbit. Two days later, the communist collective known as the USSR did the same [1]. Although the USA had announced their goal first, the Russians beat them to it, launching Sputnik in late 1957, striking a blow to American confidence [2]. The next twelve years would be a whirlwind of technological innovation as both sides raced to exert control over the vast advantages that space granted, culminating with the placement of a man on the moon in 1969. The opposing political systems and beliefs of these two nations as well as their actions of dominance soon after the end of World War II had pitted them against …show more content…
Many high ranking military officials were forced to resign, and the launching of the Sputnik satellite was pivotal in the election of John F. Kennedy, a man who made the space race a national priority [3]. This upheaval in turn was the cause of a huge shift in the treatment of the technology involved. The creation of NASA, a governmental organization primarily concerned with the research and development of space transportation and technology advancement, is a key example of this turn towards welcoming engineering designed to reach the cosmos. Many engineers insisted that this opportunity of a new scientific domain could be “used worldwide for peaceful uses of benefit to all humankind, for communications, navigation, meteorology and other purposes” [4], and was not limited to military options. Soon after NASA’s creation, work began on the Mercury Project, with the goal of achieving human spaceflight. However, they were beaten again by the Russians, who launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit on April 12, 1961. It was almost year later that the US achieved an orbital flight, manned by John Glenn. This delay was largely due to a series of launch failures by the Mercury program, leading to heavy criticism [5]. However even the delayed success of manned orbit was enough to spur America into rapid development of the space program. As President John F. Kennedy stated in late 1962 in an address to Rice …show more content…
The sound of Sputnik beeping overhead, presented on a NBC radio broadcast, was the first public exposure of these possibilities, and created conflicting beliefs among the American public. There were some, such as young Paul Dickson, who believed that it “was the starter 's pistol in an exciting new race” [7]. However, there many who saw it as a blow to American technology and values. This event may have caused a resurgence in research and development from the government, but if anything it did the opposite for technology elsewhere. Concerned that the engineering talent was being wasted on frivolities, citizens boycotted such ideas such as unnecessary consumption, effectively killing off the decadent automobile stylings of the era [8]. As more time passed, there was certainly an increase in awareness, but this didn’t necessarily lead to an increase in support. Many Americans still believed the space race was an overly costly venture, and didn’t hold any significance to average members of society. The popularity of social science at the time fostered an increase in the need for social surveyance, which is the reason for this knowledge on the public indifference [9]. Additionally, there was an interest in the way mass media affected the populace, and the Space Race presented an interesting case study on this subject. Findings showed that news networks such as NBC, ABC, and CBS may