1. The Space Race

2. Why?
The Cold War was going on between the Soviet Union and the United States
Each country thought that if you could send a satellite into space then you could send weapons into space too.

3. The Soviet Union’s Major Achievements
Sputnik I (Oct. 4, 1957) – first satellite
Sputnik II (1957) – first dog in space, named Laika.
Yuri Gagarin (Apr. 12, 1961) – became the first man to orbit the earth

4. The United States’ Answer
Explorer I (1958) – first American satellite
MR 2 (Jan. 31, 1961) – first chimpanzee in space, named Ham
Freedom 7 ( May 5, 1961) – Alan Shepard is first American in space (didn’t orbit though)
Friendship 7 (Feb. 20, 1962) – John Glenn is first American to orbit earth

5. ~President John F. Kennedy, 1961
Journey to the Moon
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.”
~President John F. Kennedy, 1961

6. The Apollo Program
Apollo 11, July 20, 1969 – Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first 2 people to walk on the moon. Michael Collins stayed in the ship orbiting the moon
Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 also landed on the moon

7. Danger in Space Travel! Apollo 1 – January 27, 1967
During a test, a fire broke out in the command module, killing all three astronauts inside.

8. Danger in Space Travel!
Apollo 13, April 13, 1970 – a small explosion caused a loss of oxygen and an electrical malfunction while in space
Astronauts survived by going into the lunar module
They made it back to earth safely, but never landed on the moon

9. Danger in Space Travel!
Challenger, January 28, 1986 – 73 seconds after liftoff the space shuttle disintegrated
An O-ring in one of the rocket boosters failed

10. Danger in Space Travel!
Columbia, February 1, 2003 – the shuttle disintegrated over Texas upon re-entry into the atmosphere
Heat tiles on the bottom of the shuttle were damaged during the launch, causing the explosion

11. Working Together
The International Space Station (ISS) is a scientific research lab.
Work began on it in 1998 and planned to be completed in 2011.
This is a great example of how nations from around the world can come together in solidarity.