9781422281420

The Cold War battle for world domination between The Space Race

the Americans and Soviets spilled into outer space.

Along with a zeal for scientific exploration, the US and the USSR were using this next frontier as a new front in the Cold War going on between them. The two nations were trying to spread their control and power while trying to contain the other. The chance to conquer a new “world” in space meant huge ex- pense and rapid advances. In the late 1950s and into the 1960s, the back-and- forth struggle for taking the next big step earned headlines around the world.

First Men in Space The true goal of the space race was manned flight, and the Soviet Union got there first. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin (left) became the first man to reach be- yond the atmosphere. He was only in the air for about 100 minutes, but it was an historic first. He was celebrat- ed in his native land for the rest of his life, and he became a symbol of Soviet accomplishments. Three weeks later, the Americans matched the Soviets, as Alan Shepard reached space. His flight only lasted 15 min- utes, but he was the first American to reach space. As great as these firsts were, greater accomplishments were still to come.

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