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Late 1950s
In the late 1950s, the United States and the Soviet Union became very competitive, and a space race began . . . Each wanted to be the first to put a man on the Moon. This was all going on during the time of the Cold War, when political relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were already difficult. -
1957
At first, Russia appeared to be winning the space race when it launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. This aluminum sphere with a radio transmitter was the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth! It made America extremely anxious: if Russia could launch objects into Earth’s orbit, then that meant it might also be capable of firing a bomb across the ocean! -
1958
Not long after Russia had launched Sputnik 1, the U.S. government created an agency for space exploration in 1958. This agency was called the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). -
1958
When the United States tried to launch its first satellite into Earth’s orbit on December 6, 1957, its Vanguard TV3 rocket exploded on the launch pad. Luckily, Wernher von Braun saved the day when his modified Jupiter-C rocket, Juno I, successfully launched America’s Explorer 1 satellite into orbit on January 31, 1958. -
1961
Meanwhile, both countries were training their astronauts and developing their space technology. Then, on May 25, 1961, American President John F. Kennedy made a statement: by 1970, the United States would put astronauts into space and on the Moon. Sadly, Kennedy never lived to see his dream become a reality, as he was assassinated in November 1963. -
1961
“First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space, and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.” — President John F. Kennedy (statement to U.S. Congress, May 25, 1961)