The backdrop of the Cold War between the United States and The Soviet Union through the mid-to-late 20th century promoted multiple international policies that reflected the tensions and the hostilities between the bipolar world. The conflicts not only remained on Earth, but what has been termed as a “space race” occurred after the USSR launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, into orbit in October 4th, 1957. The politics of space seemed suddenly more vital than it ever had before, and serious political thought was contemplated. What could space have to offer that would benefit for humanity? As the two superpowers competed over the next decade, the questions became more difficult. Should space be regulated like territory on Earth? How …show more content…
Also known as the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, it was the first international treaty to lay the foundations for what States believed should be regulated practice and standards in the reaches of space. It would be followed by many others as the need for new changes or agreements would occur. The Outer Space Treaty begins with Article I, in which it states that the exploration of outer space should “…be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of countries…” and that the moon “shall be free for exploration and use by all states without discrimination of any kind…” This attitude and line of reasoning fit the paranoia of the Cold War age, and reflected the interests of powerful states; that no one should have any large advantage by being able to send satellites and other objects into space for non-peaceful purposes. Article IV goes on to specifically specify the banning of placing nuclear weapons in space, military bases, and testing of any kind related to the military. It was vital that the treaty explain and specify the difference between scientific and military research, and lay the line that States were not allowed to …show more content…
Would the military have a right to deploy weapons then? Not under the current terms of the treaty, no. As technology improves over the next several decades, or longer, the idea of civilian space travel is not so far-fetched. NASA is already planning a mission to Mars, and if missions see continued success, there is no doubt that States will invest their time, money, and resources to expand the space industry further. It needs time to develop before a decision can really be determined. Cooperation is still preferred and a must in the realm of space, but as space becomes more known, will it be possible that States will compete? Under the Outer Space Law, no State can claim sovereign territory in space, but that may very well come into conflict later on in time. The mainly potential of mineral gathering too, not banned by the Treaty would give rise to economic interest of
This book talks about when the United States almost started a full nuclear war because of a few soviet missiles flew into the states allegedly. They flew B-47s and B-52s as air fleets for 40 years of this international problem between the Soviet Union and the United States. In the year 1945 America ended World War 2, as the head nuclear power in the world. Even though the U.S. was the nuclear power, they did not have any nuclear bombs. The whole point of this “cold war” was to maintain a peace among uneasy times, which did not work.
The treaty was signed by Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. It was to eliminate and control the use of nuclear weapons that could fire long distances. All launchers that had a range of 500-5500 kilometers were to be destroyed. This was effective, but it also came to an end. It got rid of nearly 2,700 missiles.
Now that the Space Race is over, what is the point? Are we wasting our money? Should we cut their budget? When the cold war ended with the soviets in 1991, it sparked up a debate as to whether or not the funding for the National Aeronautics and space administration should be continued. Although it may seem like a simple fix, it has proved to be one of NASA’s greatest and most difficult challenges yet.
Now that the Space Race is over, what is the point? Are we wasting our money? Should we cut their budget? When the cold war ended with the soviets in 1991, it sparked up a debate as to whether or not the funding for the National Aeronautics and space administration should be continued. Although it may seem like a simple fix, it has proved to be one of NASA’s greatest and most difficult challenges yet.
Soon after the Cold War came to an end, the United States and the USSR both began military technological advancements. If the USSR could get missiles into space, they could set them off at anyone anywhere. In the interest of protecting America and possibly the rest of the world, the main objective for the Space Race was to protect us against missiles from the USSR military. These advancements led to a competition between the US and the USSR to see who would be the first to space. America and the USSR were two of the most powerful countries in the entire world at that point in time.
The Reagan administration believed that the Soviet Union's military strength was the greatest threat to the security of the United States (Fischer, 1997). Reagan refused to believe the Soviets would cut back on certain missiles if the U.S. would refrain from deploying immediate range missiles in Europe. Reagan would increase the number of weapons and revive military programs that had been previously cut. He would also propose to build better weapons that could disable nuclear weapons from space. Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars, violated the 1972 ABM Treaty forbidding defensive systems capable of covering the entire U.S. or Soviet Union.
Between the years of 1947 and 1991 the USSR and the United States remained in a long period of tension known as The Cold War. This war was a state of political and economical in proxy wars such as the space race and the arms race the lead to the weakening of American society and laws. Marking the end of the Cold War in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed due to their economic failure and their approach to the space race. As the Cold War intensified there was a significant increase in infrastructures and military, a shift in education, and there was an overall fear in society. Education in the United States began to focus on science instead of general education in an attempt to try and win the “space race” against the Soviet Union.
In a time of separation and unrest, the United States needed to be a united front against a common enemy with a common goal. The United States used the technological advances in space exploration and the rivalry with the Soviet Union to unite the citizens when tension was great among them. Space exploration milestones that occurred in the 1960s were important to the sense of pride of United States citizens. The Atlas Program and the Apollo Program were major successes in the eyes of the United States and set them apart from their opponent in the space race, the Soviet Union. Space exploration was very important to the 1960s because amongst the chaos of the revolutionary decade, the government was still able to boost morale and restore people’s
Is the underlying reasons for the belief, impression or thought that the US government must continue to invest in NASA overlooked, misunderstood or unheeded. In his essay “Space Technology: A Critical Investment for Our Nation’s Future,” author Bobby Braun builds a cogent, detailed and absorb-ing argument by employing a variety of rhetorical techniques and persuasive strategies, most notably, an array of pertinent facts and statistics, appeal to emotions, and the citing of respected authorities to persuade his audience on why the US government needs to continue investing in NASA. Braun skillfully incorporates facts and statistics to build his argument. For example, aerospace “is the largest positive contributor to our nation’s trade balance” (par. 1) and “Modest sustained federal investment in space technology, at a funding level approaching 5 percent of NASA’s budget (well below the R&D budget of many corporations), is the key ingredient to their success. ”(par. 7) As a result, the use of these facts and statistics helps ground the
The art of fear is essential in nuclear deterrence. Using the film Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964) I will argue that nuclear deterrence is hard to achieve when communication of nuclear capabilities is not well established amongst states. In this paper, I will use the film Dr. Strangelove (1964) to argue how theories such as deterrence theory, realist theory, security dilemma, preventative war, pre-emptive war as well as relative gains and zero sum game led to a failure to achieve nuclear deterrence between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. To make my argument on how more nuclear weapons may hinder deterrence, this essay will proceed as follows; I will firstly discuss the how nuclear deterrence and mutually
and the Soviet Union. This war was not fought with weapons but with technology to see who could out due each other. The space race came from this. Both the U.S. and Russia were trying to see who could send satellites and people into space. In the end the U.S. won the space race.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. " This well known quote by the renowned astronaut Neil Armstrong forever marked the beginning of a new age as the Space Race came to its final chapter. The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era was a pivotal period in the history of space exploration, where these two global superpowers aim to compete for technological superiority in military and space. While both the United States and the Soviet Union gained significant benefits from the Space Race in terms of technological advancements, scientific discoveries, and national prestige, the United States emerged as the primary beneficiary due to its long-lasting impact on space exploration and technological innovation.
While the Cold War was going on, the Space Race became another aspect of this competition. The purpose of the Space Race was to determine whether the United State or the Soviet Union had greater technology, power, and knowledge. These aspects created a rivalry between the two nations by intensifing the competition of the Cold
In 1961, John F. Kennedy announced his submission to the “space race”. It was a mission he was determined to win against the Soviet Union, that had been going on since 1957. Although all they did was send a small satellite into space orbiting the earth, it had been a competition against the Russian and American scientist to witness who would perform the next break though in space travel. As a matter of fact, Kennedy announced his plan to Congress on May 2, 1961 that it was time for the nation to take action by being the first to take on a space achievement. As a result, Kennedy established taking the dramatic goal of taking on space travel by announcing his famous speech.
After witnessing the decline of new innovations by the world’s space programs since the ‘60s, he