SPACE RACE: AN ESSAY

On 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the first manmade object, Sputnik, into space. What followed was a series of events that led to some of the most exhilarating and ground-breaking science we’ve ever seen. It was a race to the finish line – to be the first to conquer space.

The end of World War II saw the beginnings of a different kind of confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States. The emergence of the Cold War brought with it threats, a nuclear arms-race, espionage and superiority. This culture of paranoia also fuelled the notion there was one last avenue left to explore in the name of national security. As a result, the 1950s saw both the Soviet Union and the United States battle it out to be the first to reach the stars.

In January 1958, in response to Sputnik, the United States launched Explorer I. That same year, President Eisenhower signed a public order to create a federal agency solely dedicated to space exploration – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or, more commonly known today, NASA.

Aerial View of Apollo 11 Saturn V on Transporter

On 3 November 1957, the first living organism was launched into Earth’s orbit on Sputnik 2, a dog named Laika. It wasn’t until April 1961 that the Soviet space program sent Yuri Gagarin into space. Yuri became the first person to orbit the Earth in a 108-minute flight – a huge achievement for science worldwide. The US followed suite, first testing their spacecraft with a chimpanzee named Ham – despite losing pressure in his capsule, Ham was saved by his spacesuit and safely returned back to Earth. Then, on 5 May 1961, NASA sent up Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space.

The tit-for-tat continued until President John F. Kennedy’s now famous declaration to Congress that the United States would land a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. This gave both countries a supposed ‘final goal’ that would seemingly conclude the space race. By the end of 1962, the foundations for NASA’s Project Apollo were in place, seeing its budget increased and purpose clear: land a man on the Moon before the Soviet Union.

Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. Flag on the Moon

The public was fascinated with the ongoing space race, with the media covering explorations in great detail. This all came to a head on 16 July 1968, as NASA launched the Apollo 11 space mission. On 20 July, United States astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins successfully landed on the Moon. Broadcast live on television, more than half a billion people watched the historic event.

Apollo 11 Bootprint

Over the next few years, competitive rivalry gave way to collective goodwill, seeing each nation enjoy multiple firsts in space exploration. The incredible popularity and public interest in the 1960s and 70s also saw other countries join in on space exploration, including Canada, France, Japan and China.

Eventually, however, the Cold War came to an end. In 1975, the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission between the Soviet Union and the United States saw an Apollo shuttle dock in orbit with a Soviet-made Soyuz craft; the two commanders, Tom Stafford and Alexi Leonov, greeted each other with a handshake, symbolising the end to the space race.

International Space Station – February 2001

In 1998, construction for the International Space Station began, bringing together the international scientific research community, as well as international flight crews, launch vehicles, training, engineering and communication networks. It was a worldwide scientific feat and, more importantly, a commitment to the science behind space travel.

Today, private companies including Blue Origin and SpaceX ride the wave of momentum of scientific discovery achieved by these national space agencies to, demonstrating new spaceflight capabilities and a desire to make ‘space’ accessible to as many people as possible. It’ll be some time before there’s another space event that draws as much global attention as Neil Armstrong’s small step, but it’s an area that continues to grow and show promise – the very definition of progress.

Apollo 11 Launch