Cold War Tension 5: Sputnik and Space Race

The history of technology got a mark on October 4, 1957. This was the day when the first satellite was launched successfully, and it was made and launched by the Soviet Union. The satellite was known as sputnik I. Sputnik I weighed 83.6 kg or 183.9 pounds, and it was about the size of a beach ball. It took about 98 minutes for sputnik to go around the Earth on its elliptical path. Sputnik was the start of the United States vs. Soviet Union space race. The Soviet Union's achievement with sputnik really surprised the United States. Then on November Third, the Soviets launched Sputnik II. Sputnik II carried a much heavier load than sputnik I, it had a dog named Laika in it. The United States responded to this by increasing their funding for another United States satellite project. Then on January 31, 1958 the United States successfully launched Explorer I. The launching of Sputnik also led to the creation of the (NASA) National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Both superpowers had achieved a lot through the space race. The Soviet Union had sent the first women and the first two consecutive missions, they had the first man to walk in space, and had the first astronauts to ever switch crafts in space and then come back home. The United States had a huge achievement! On July 20th, 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to ever step foot on the moon's surface. He then took the first step saying, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This achievement had forever changed the possibilities of technology in the world.