In purely technological terms, the USSR trumped the USA. Sputnik and Gagarin were followed by a series of other firsts: the first woman in space, first lunar impact, first image of the dark side of the moon, first space rover and first space station were all claimed by the Soviets. But in the popular imagination, the Space Race was won when the USA put a man on the moon in 1969.
Three years later, tensions between the two superpowers briefly eased. And three years after that, in 1975, the world watched as an American Apollo module docket with a Soviet Soyuz last capsule. The two commanders shook hands in space. The Space Race was over.
Surviving propaganda posters are a potent reminder of the stratospheric ambitions of the Soviet regime during the Space Race.
@Budwick Telling her that I'm not interested in space is foolish considering that's my occupation. I didn't go to school for six years and seek a job in the sector because I'm "not interested."
@BlueMetalChick Since 'space is your occupation, it must be devastating for you to say stuff like -
We aren't gonna be making any more discoveries in space, sadly. Space exploration is well and truly dead with the rise of privately owned corporate space agencies.
In purely technological terms, the USSR did not trump the USA.
Sputnik 1, launched on Oct 4, 1957, carried no scientific instruments. The only thing it did, was transmit a beeo-beep-beep radio signal.
The USSR was planning to launch an actual satellite, with actual instruments, but they were way behind schedule, and their "electronics" package was not ready for prime time. Their intelligence services, figured out the the US will be ready to launch an actual, functional satellite, 4 months later, so they decided to go with a publicity stunt.
The US stuck with its plan to launch an actual satellite, and did it on Jan 31, 1958. That satellite discovered of the Van Allen radiation belt.
11 years later, we landed humans on the moon. In the meanwhile, the USSR continued to engage in publicity stunts.
It’s too bad we couldn’t get along and work together, combining brilliant minds in both countries. But those were the Cold War days and the early 60’s was a scary time.
@rfatoday It's especially shameful considering that we likely won't even get another chance to work together in such a capacity. Space exploration is quite thoroughly dead now.
I must protest, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Lightyear stepped out of that Sputnik and walked on the surface of Mars they proved that there were no winners in the space race...it was a human race.
I researched that in the 6th grade, tracing it's timeline as far back as 1957, with the launch of Sputnik and it's canine "test pilot" Laika, followed by the launch of the Vostok capsule piloted by Yuri Gagarin in 1961. That same year, the Americans sent their own non-human "test pilot," a chimpanzee named Ham, launched in the Redstone rocket, followed by astronauts, Alan Shepard and John Glenn, respectively. Then, in 1969, came the famous Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon, consisting of a three-man astronaut team. launched in the Saturn V rocket. The three men were Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins. There was also the "successful failure" known as Apollo 13 in 1970. Successful in launch and re-entry, but a failure to land on the moon due to technical problems. The end of the 1970's and the start of the 1980's was for the Americans, the beginning of the Shuttle age, starting with the Colombia and followed by the Challenger, Endeavour, Atlantis, and the Discovery. Key milestones of the Shuttle age of space exploration included the first American woman astronaut, Sally Ride, the ill-fated Challenger launch of 1986 the Hubble Telescope being put into orbit in the mid 1990's. And the rest, as they say... Is history.
Also first spacewalk and first tandem launch. The USA was pretty late to the space race. The one big accomplishment that America achieved was landing on the moon. Sergei Korolev's death severely impacted the Soviet Union's space program, which is probably the biggest reason why the Russians didn't get to the moon first, and why the N1 rocket was such a failure.
Russia was also first in destroying its own agricultural base by killing off those who knew how to raise and harvest crops, building doomsday nukes, and destroying free speech, families and the fortunes of their best and brightest.
It was a cardboard cutout potemkin village of continental proportions.
@SteelHands One of the co founders Fred Koch didn't have any issues with building oil refineries for the USSR and being praised a hero in the Soviet Union.
His family has also contributed bankrolling the reactionary right in America ever since.
That's in purely political terms. In technological terms, each new development or discovery builds on the last. Science and technology are the result of pooled knowledge and repeated study and testing. No one country wins if they aren't sharing and borrowing what they know. Remanding knowledge and "firsts" to countries for purposes of accolades wins none one any part of the future. This is a lofty answer without benefit of human failings and earthly considerations. But if we strive toward the higher road, meybe it becomes more attainable as we go.
'cept our Saturn V actually got us to the moon; their N1 rocket's only accomplishment is being the world's biggest non nuclear explosion when it blew up on the launch pad... (around 7kt, about 5-10 times as powerful as the Beirut explosion) 🤔
@ChipmunkErnie The Soviet space program left a legacy that current russia unfortunately didn't continue but the contribution of the Soviet Union to space exploration was great.
As time moved on and other challenges presented themselves we can say that the corporations and oligarchs met the challenge and stopped scientific progress dead.
@Sidewinder Ok, well it was intended as a tongue-in-cheek statement, not factual in any way, shape or form. You do need to learn to not take everything so seriously and understand when someone is joking around... 🙂
@MalteseFalconPunch The people cheering that the US won, probably are the ones that complain about big government & the Democrats! 🤣 It was the government that put a man on the Moon...when LBJ was in power!
Yup. By 1962 John Glenn went into orbit and came back alive. No Sputnik moments for public health or urban planning. No green energy race. Americans are a one trick pony.
@Fukfacewillie Well in economic terms especially in your vile capitalist mind any comparison between the US and the Soviet Union wouldn't be fruitful to show how immoral the US is.
By design the American economy is a system of naked plunder that fails to provide for the basic needs of millions while depriving the vast majority of people a share in the wealth their labor creates - instead transferring it upwards to a gilded class with its hands on the levers of political and economic power.
@BlueMetalChick Hard way to go! I think the Space Shuttle was ultimately a disappointment. It was an overreach of early 70s technology.
Unmanned spacecraft have been astonishingly successful. The need for “manned” space flight seems like a huge waste of money. Mars is just too far away. I mean maybe the outer limit of what we’re capable of in 30 years, but why?
@Fukfacewillie For the moment, yeah, unmanned and remote space exploration is definitely what is most useful. I can see the need for manned missions at some point, but right now it's just a little bit too much risk for not quite enough reward. In a couple decades that may change, which I'll admit it pretty exciting to think about even if it's unrealistic.
