Space+Race

The space race grew out of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. Each of the superpowers wanted to win the race to prove the superiority of not only their technology, but also their own political and social philosophy. On October 4, 1957, Soviet scientists amazed the world by launching into space the first man-made satellite. The nearly 200-hundred-pound Sputnik (Russian for "satellite" or "baby moon") successfully orbited the earth as elated Russians celebrated on the ground. The following month the same team lofted the larger Sputnik II above the earth's atmosphere, this time carrying a dog. The United States, considered by many the world scientific and industrial production leader, had seemingly fallen behind the Soviet Union.

Many were concerned that while U.S. engineers and scientists spent time developing household items for public consumption, like the color television, the Soviets pooled their resources to develop advanced rocketry. Americans quickly became aware of the military implications of the artificial satellites. If the Soviets could send heavy objects into space, they could easily hit U.S. cities with intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The thought of a nuclear attack on the United States frightened Americans. Life magazine published an article entitled "The Case for Being Panicky," and a Democratic senator demanded that Eisenhower meet with Congress to discuss Sputnik and the "missile gap." However, the president refused and, in an attempt to ease American anxiety, reassured the public that United States missile technology did not lag behind that of the Soviet Union. Privately, Eisenhower knew the notion of a missile gap was misleading. Secret high-flying American U-2 spy planes offered the president critical information on the Soviet weaponry capabilities.

In early 1958, the United States launched its own artificial satellite, Explorer I, into outer space. But the successful launch did little to quell public fears that the capabilities of the U.S. military were inadequate. Republicans blamed the Truman administration for not supporting the country's missile program, and Democrats claimed Eisenhower refused to take the Soviet threat seriously.

The Soviet's success with Sputnik, coupled with the demand from politicians to close the apparent missile gap, pushed Eisenhower to act. He first prepared a plan to increase the defense budget. Fearing that Soviet technological advancements posed viable threats to national security, anxious legislators voted to give the president the money he requested and more to bolster defense programs. By the end of the year, the United States placed intermediate-range ballistic missiles in strategic locations around the world, including Britain, Italy, and Turkey.

Eisenhower also supported the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to coordinate space efforts. In 1958, he introduced the Mercury program and the first seven U.S. astronauts—Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Donald Slayton, Virgil Grissom, and Gordon Cooper. The new organization quickly developed a program to send a man into orbit before 1959. Delays, however, forced America's first manned space flight, commanded by Shepard, to take place more than two years later.

To match the Soviet accomplishments, the United States needed experienced engineers and scientists, but high schools and colleges were not graduating enough qualified students. Many believed the educational system in the Soviet Union was superior to that found in the United States. Educators in the states overhauled curriculum standards to focus more on reading, writing, and arithmetic, and less on what they considered "soft" courses, such as art or home economics. In 1958, Congress enacted the National Defense Education Act, which authorized almost $900 million in federal grants for enhanced teacher salaries and improved laboratories and equipment. The Act also included funding for college scholarships that encouraged students to take additional courses in mathematics, science, and modern languages.

Within a decade, enrollment in higher education institutions jumped significantly and nearly one-third of university scientists and engineers were involved in some capacity in weapons research for the United States government. America had accepted the challenge to equal, and surpass, Soviet Union technological capabilities. But the rivalry and distrust between the two countries intensified, as each side substantially increased its military might.