Cold War Space Race: US vs USSR

Abstract

In the 1950's, as the world saw the two superpowers of world affairs, the United States and the United Soviet Socialist Republic engaged in a quest for ultimate power that would in time become known as the Cold War, there were many ways that the two rivals sought to surpass one another. For a variety of reasons, the desire to seize control not only of planet earth, but the universe itself became a top priority. This competition, known as the Space Race, held in the balance not only national pride, but control of all that exists. In this paper, the meaning of the Space Race and its accomplishments will be explored and discussed within the context of the Cold War and beyond.

The Purpose of the Space Race

Identifying the purpose of the Space Race is not a simple as it may seem; rather, it is a multi-faceted issue that requires a fair amount of clarification.

As was alluded to as this paper began, the Space Race was something that took root in a time of international turmoil, mistrust and anxiety. The U.S. and U.S.S.R had for decades been rivals in some instances, enemies in others, but always mistrustful of each other and constantly seeking ways to gain the upper hand. With the development of nuclear weapons immediately following World War II, the general fear in the arena of world affairs was that these two nations, in a cruel irony the first two nations to possess nuclear weapons, would utilize these weapons to destroy one another, and in the process, the entire world as well, a phenomena that was euphemistically termed Assured Destruction . With this context in mind, it is apparent that the Space Race had many direct and indirect purposes. As an extension of the Cold War, in its most basic context, the Space Race was a race not only to be the first country to successfully explore outer space, but also to be the first to ultimately control other planets and therefore dominate not only the world as most people know it, but the entire universe and all of the other planets in it. Being able to control all of this would likely settle the rivalry that defined the Cold War.

The U.S. had a rude awakening in regard to the competition to be first in space when the U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik, a space craft that carried a dog into space and back to earth again safely, not only showing that this was possible, but that it has been done and that the complexity of space travel would only increase from that point, with the U.S.S.R at that point in the lead However, it should not be mistakenly assumed that this would have brought peace to the world if the Space Race was definitively settled once and for all. At the height of the Cold War, which coincided with the high point of the Space Race, there were rumors in abundance that control of outer space was being sought so that whichever nation took control of other planets would use them for the growth of nuclear weaponry, such as being able to develop and test the weapons in absolute secrecy, as well as using other planets as a convenient staging and launching area for nuclear weapons. In retrospect, the stakes of the Space Race could not have been higher.

Time Well Spent and Energy Used Wisely?

The question of whether or not the Space Race was time well spent and energy used wisely is also a question that can have many possible answers, depending upon the point of view. Today, in being able to look at the Space Race with the luxury of hindsight, it is fair and accurate to say that the Space Race was time well spent and energy used wisely if for no other reason than the fact that countless scientific and technological advancements have been made possible because of the activities that took place in the development of space related innovations. In equal fairness, however, it needs to be noted and understood that these discoveries were not planned on in a search for ways to make life better or to advance science, but quite the opposite, as two world superpowers indulged in a frenzy of research that had the larger objective of being able to dominate, or even destroy, millions of people. With a healthy dose of optimism, and again having the luxury of hindsight, the time and energy that was used in the Space Race could have been used for outright research and study that would have much more quickly led to the discoveries that were the byproduct of the Space Race in a more rapid and direct fashion. Moreover, it is feasible to make the assumption that many more discoveries beneficial to the human race could have taken place much sooner than they did by other means.

Larger Purpose of the Space Race I

nterestingly enough, the argument can be made that the Space Race also had a larger purpose beyond the victory of the Cold War, although this may have been one of its largest purposes. National pride and domestic power played pivotal roles in the proliferation of the Space Race. As the nations of the world sought to reclaim their identities after World War II, both the U.S. and U.S.S.R were positioned to become nations of which their citizens would be proud. Having not only emerged victorious over the tyranny of Adolf Hitler, the two superpowers also gained a great deal of new territory, responsibility and power, making it necessary for the nations to have a strong base of support at home to foster their rebirths in the post-war world.

Exploring the possibilities of expansion not only beyond land borders, but also the barriers of the planet itself proved to be an exciting way for the citizens of the U.S. and U.S.S.R respectively to become even more proud of their respective nations, which would give each of those nations the amount of synergy needed to be sustained through the darkest days of the Cold War that would eventually stretch over many decades and would only come to an end with the collapse of communism in the 1980s . From the point of view of the Americans, the Space Race also took on a much more significant purpose than simply showing that space exploration was possible; early in the consideration of the potential of space exploration and travel, it was realized that the technology and science that could be derived from an effective space program would have many uses, and in light of the possibility of Assured Destruction, defense was one of the most important. In the minds of the American government, the demise of communism was the key to winning the Cold War outright. With this demise in mind, the U.S. developed a program known, at least in secret at that time, as Technological Anticommunism, which held that space-aided technology advances would be one of the most effective means of combating the growing threat of the communist state .

Does Society Need This Kind of Enterprise?

In looking at the Space Race in retrospect, and all of the many benefits it has given to humanity which far outweigh the costs, the question of whether or not society needs this kind of enterprise from time to time comes to light. Without a doubt, the answer to this question is a firm "yes" for a variety of reasons. The possibility of war and destruction aside, the patriotism and fervor that the Space Race ignited in the U.S. undoubtedly motivated the American people to work harder than ever to make their nation the victor in this competition, whose stakes were unbelievably high. Moreover, the technology and scientific advances that the Space Race afforded resulted in benefits that continue to pay dividends to this day. Future enterprises of this sort will also pay dividends in a similar fashion to be sure. Conclusion In this paper, the many facets of the Space Race were presented and considered; in the bigger picture, however, there is something else that should not be forgotten in the midst of all of the drama and complexity of this rivalry. Every nation, and indeed every citizen in them, must constantly strive for higher achievement and never settle for what exists, for without the desire to advance and improve, the human race is bound to fall short of potential at best and disintegrate at worst.

Works Cited

McDougall, Walter A. 1985. The Heavens and Earth: A Political History of the Space Age. New York: Basic Books.
Reeves, Robert. 1994. The Superpower Space Race: An Explosive Rivalry through the Solar System. New York: Plenum Press.
Sturdevant, Rick W. 2005. The First Space Race: Launching the World's First Satellites. Air Power History 52, no. 2: 53+.