Launch Of Sputnik Essay

During World War II (WWII) the United States (U.S.) and Russia fought as allies against the Nazis. Following WWII, the relationship between the two countries quickly began to deteriorate. Around 1947 the WWII era ended and a Cold War involving the U.S. and Soviet Russia began. The Marshall Plan was implemented following Soviet aggression in Europe in order to provide aid and relief to an already war-torn nation. The Soviet response to the Marshall Plan became known as the Zhdanov Doctrine. This doctrine supposed that American imperialists were trying to conquer the world and end the spread of democracy. It also claimed the Soviet Union’s goals were to eliminate imperialism and support democracy. It was no secret that the Soviet Union was, in fact, attempting to claim all of Europe for mother Russia. Thus sparked a Cold War that would last for decades. One of the biggest events of the Cold War was the launch of Sputnik. On October 4th, 1957, Russia launched Sputnik into outer space. The satellite became the first object to orbit the Earth. Russian success in putting a vehicle into orbit sparked massive military, political, and technological implications. Most of these implications were due to the fact that Russia was

government actions during the beginning of the space race was the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A few short months after Sputnik the U.S. attempted to launch its own Vanguard satellite. The rocket lifted off the pad at Cape Canaveral, FL and blew up shortly after. It was clear that the U.S. needed a more organized approach to winning the race against Russia. Therefore, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act in 1958, which established NASA as America’s leading entity in in space utilization. To this day, NASA is the world’s leading organization in space exploration, research and development, and space