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Exploration and discovery have fascinated mankind throughout history and across cultures. In the
United States and around the world, the “final frontier” became an enormous focus during the 1950s and 1960s.
After the end of WWII, America and the Soviet Union were locked in the Cold War and in a battle to
demonstrate superiority in space exploration. This competition became known as the Space Race. There were
multiple factors that caused this race, and the effects of it impacted the world of science dramatically.
The historical events that led to the Space Race reveal some interesting insights about human nature.
First, the Cold War was a serious conflict between two powerful nations: “By the mid-1950s, the U.S.Soviet Cold War had worked its way into the fabric of everyday life in both countries, fueled by the arms race
and the growing threat of nuclear weapons, wide-ranging espionage and counter-espionage between the two
countries, war in Korea and a clash of words and ideas carried out in the media” (“The Space Race”). The
tensions between these two nations was a significant contributing factor in bringing about the Space Race
because of heightened the competition between them. Another cause of the Space Race was President John F.
Kennedy’s belief that America’s self-confidence would be bolstered by being the first nation to put a man on
the moon. His charge to the United States was to “…commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is
out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth” (“Space Program”). Kennedy’s
leadership was definitely a contributing factor that led to this event. Finally, Americans’ desire to improve and
expand our technological advancements led to the United States’ participation in the Space Race. With the
Gemini program, NASA wanted to “…observe the effects of long duration space flights on astronauts, to
establish rendezvous and docking techniques between vehicles, and to perfect the method of landing spacecraft
at a pre-selected point” (“Space Race”). Several insights about human nature become clear after considering
this time period in our history. Mankind continues to be captivated by new discoveries and unchartered
territories which suggests that our sense of curiosity is an innate part of human nature. Additionally, the
competitive spirit of a race such as this seems to reveal that as a species, we naturally seek to improve and
overcome.
Not only are the factors that caused the Space Race to occur important to understand, but so are the
effects of this exploration which also highlight major insights about society.
Works Cited
“Space Program.” Space Program - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK
in-History/Space-Program.aspx.
“The Space Race.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/space-race.
“Space Race.” Space Race | National Curriculum | Schools & Colleges | National Cold War Exhibition,
www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org/schools-colleges/national-curriculum/space-race/.