Sputnik Research Paper

Words: 412
Pages: 2

From 1957 through 1975 the communist Soviet Union and democratic United states were locked in a race for superiority. From the stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction to fighting vicariously through the Korean war, the United states and U.S.S.R looked for any excuse to establish supremacy without direct contact. It wasn’t long before the rivalry broke its earthly bonds and transcended into space with the intentions to further human understanding of the universe around them. However, the scientific gains of the space race were trumped by the political and military gains made by the Soviet Union and United States. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 in orbit. That same year the United States responded with a not so