The “Space Race” between the United States and the Soviet Union remains an often studied and debated period of the 20th Century. While the Russians began with a lead, once challenged, the leadership of President John F. Kennedy resulted in Americans surpassing their Cold War rival on the way to the Moon. While the effort was politically motivated, the technology that came from space exploration built the modern world.
One of the most memorable periods of the 20th Century is known as the “Space Race” between the United States and the Soviet Union. While the Russians got off to a fast start with many impressive firsts, Americans quickly pulled ahead and met the goal of landing humans on the Moon. But, historians do not universally agree on when the competition actually began and at what point NASA took the lead.
In the decade after the first rocket lifted off into the skies above Cape Canaveral, the launch site became the focal point of America’s efforts to explore beyond Earth. To meet President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the Moon, a expansive new site was needed. That location became NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, a premier multi-user spaceport now commemorating its 60th anniversary.
Marianna Triplett was working at the Pentagon, continuing the effort to transfer millions of men and women back to civilian life after they served in the military during World War II. One day during 1948, a U.S. Army general called her into his office and said he wanted to transfer her to Florida to assist with a “hush-hush secret program.” The new effort building Cape Canaveral Space Force Station would lead to some of the most historic achievements of the decades to come.
Since its formation in 1958, one of NASA’s core missions has been to explore. The fledgling space agency’s first successful probe to study what lies beyond Earth was Pioneer 4, 64 years ago. NASA’s commitment to exploration is continuing with plans to launch an Orion spacecraft atop a Space Launch System rocket on the Artemis 1 mission targeted for later this year.
On the evening of Jan. 31, 1958, the United States orbited its first satellite — Explorer 1. The effort was part of the nation’s participation in the International Geophysical Year (IGY), a peaceful scientific endeavor. It also marked America’s first step in the Space Race of the Cold War.