The Space Race: USA vs USSR Essay -- The Space Race

The Space Race was a war of firsts between the United States of America and the Union Soviet Socialist Republics. But it was also the culmination of the dreams of man for many millennia and the team who worked on the space programs were able to discover what so many of the people that came before and after them could only dream of. It was an endeavor that all of humanity was invested in at the time. It was a testament to the power of the human spirit and it showed how nothing was impossible if we persevered and strived to be better. The space race did not start as one would expect with the respective American and Soviet space agencies. But rather it began with the German V2 missile launches towards the end of World War 2. The V2 missile was designed by Wernher Von Braun a German scientist who had dreamed of traveling to the moon for many years; however this dream had to be secret as it was considered to be treasonous and not helpful to the German cause. Von Braun and many other amateur rocketeers were drafted into the German war machine in order to help build a super weapon and their base was Peenemà ¼nde. When the war was nearing its end the Third Reich unleashed its secret weapon, the V2 missile. It could hit anywhere within its target range and there would be no warning. When it hit, it caused scenes of mass destruction. The V2 missiles were to be Hitler’s ace in the hole. However by then it was far too late the war had already been lost with Soviets advancing from the East and the other Allies from t he west and when the Allies discovered the German’s V2 missile they knew that they would have to have it as it was decades further than what they had on their own. So when truce was declared it was a race between the Americans and... ...on/timeline/timeline2.html>. "PGM-19 Jupiter." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. "Redstone (rocket Family)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. "The Space Race." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . "Space Race." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . "TheSpaceRace.com - Timeline of Space Exploration." TheSpaceRace.com - Timeline of Space Exploration. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. . "Voskhod Programme." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Nov. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . "Waging Peace." : Cold War: The Space Race and Its' Significance. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.