The Soviets started Operation Osoaviakhim to start developing their missile program, after forcing the best German scientists onto it. Operation Paperclip, which was originally called Operation Overcast, was the US. and UK version of the Soviets' program. It was meant to prevent the USSR from leading the US in missile technology.
From 1959 to 1961, these were the notable events that occurred:
The late 1950s was the start of the Space Race. It was a competition to see who would beat the other in space technology.
In October 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik 1 into space. It was the first artificial satellite and made the US anxious as the USSR was ahead of it.
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| By NSSDC, NASA[1] - NASA |
The next year, 1958, NASA was created to respond to the development of Soviet space technology. It launched Explorer 1, the first US satellite. It was a combination of various groups.
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| By NASA - [1], [2], [3], Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons |
• Luna 2 (1959, First space probe to impact the moon, USSR)
• Vostok 1 (April 1961, Yuri Gagarin, USSR)
• Project Mercury (May 1961, Allan Shepard launched into space, US)
The US's Apollo 7 was the first manned Apollo mission that managed to orbit Earth. Apollo 8 took 3 astronauts around the dark side of the moon. Apollo 9 was a test of the Lunar Module, while Apollo 10 was a dry run of the whole thing. Apollo 11 was the first landing onto the moon.
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| By NASA - Great Images in NASA Description, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons |
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| By Apollo 16 astronauts - NASA photo AS16-116-18580, cropped, Public Domain, Commons |
Its sad that the US and USSR were mainly interested in space exploration just to put weapons there, and its good that there is a ban of weapons in space.
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