The Space Race

• how did it start + what was the reaction?

  the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union (satellite sent into orbit in space!). shocked the US as they believed themselves to be superior + thought they were still ahead due to impacts of WW2 on USSR
• Responses to Sputnik by the US

  NASA established, defence spending increased, more money put into science and engineering, put nuclear missiles in western europe as a deterrent to the USSR