I think that the most significant win for the U.S. during the Cold War was the winning of the space race. The space race began when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite and the first manmade object to be placed in the Earth’s orbit. This ultimately triggered the rest of the events of the space race, including the launch of the Explorer I, the development of NASA, and both the Soviet Union and the United States putting men into space. The introduction of all of this and further education for people in the U.S. was a big reason why the space race was the most significant win, as well as the fact that winning the space race drastically increased morale in the U.S., giving the nation confidence that they were the superior country. The best part about this was that the …show more content…
to be more focused on education. The school system was quickly altered to include more science-based classes for students. The space race also fueled the formation of NASA, which still exists to this day. NASA changed and continues to change space exploration in the U.S. The U.S. also formed the National Reconnaissance Office, which used orbiting satellites to gather information on the Soviet Union. Another reason why the space race was most significant was because of the happiness and excitement it brought to the U.S. after the win. In April of 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit Earth. The U.S. then put Alan Shepard and John Glenn into space. Later, in 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins successfully landed on the moon with Armstrong being the first man to walk on the moon. By landing on the moon, the United States “won” the space race. From start to end, the American public was invested in the space race and they were very proud of the win when the space race ended. Astronauts were viewed as the ultimate heroes by the American