![]() Thus began the Cold War, in which the U.S. had just demonstrated its ability to destroy entire cities by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force Japan’s surrender. grew increasingly suspicious of one another as the war drew to a close in 1945. ( Subscriber exclusive: Explore 50 years of lunar visits with our newest moon map.) The space race beginsĭespite being allies during World War II, the U.S. But it isn’t where the story of human spaceflight truly begins: That trajectory was charted years earlier by another Soviet success. It was a pivotal moment in the space race between the United States and Soviet Union that would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Moments later, the Soviet cosmonaut became the first person in space and, 89 minutes after launch, the first person to orbit the planet. He narrated his experiences to those on the ground as the rocket’s acceleration to 17,000 miles an hour pushed him back into his seat. ![]() Intelligent, diligent, and well-liked among his comrades, one memo written by Soviet Air Force doctors and obtained by historian Asif Siddiqi noted that Gagarin “understands life better than a lot of his friends.”Īt 9:07 a.m., Gagarin called out “ Poyekhali!”-Russian for “Off we go!”-as the rocket lifted off. ![]() After months of rigorous physical and technical training, the 27-year-old cosmonaut had been chosen for the historic flight in part for his unflappability. Two of the space program’s top engineers reportedly had to take tranquilizers that day as they waited for liftoff at the Kazakh launch site.īut Yuri Gagarin remained calm in the capsule atop the rocket. Of the 16 previous attempts to propel the U.S.S.R.’s Vostok rocket into orbit, half had failed. For now, these Russian space explorers will continue working with their US colleagues in the space station that they built together.Tensions ran high at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the morning of April 12, 1961, as the Soviet Union prepared to launch the first human into space. It's no secret that Russia and the US aren't the best of friends at the moment, and some worry that the tradition of international cooperation in space is coming to an end and a new space race is beginning, this time with a lot more competitors. NED PRICE, US STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: I understand that we were taken by surprise by the public statement that went out. They say they're going to work on their own space station, which was kind of a shock to the US. Russia's space agency, Roscosmos has announced that after 2024 its cosmonauts will be leaving the space station for good. Then in 2000, on board a Russian Soyuz Spacecraft, two Russians and an American docked at the brand new International Space Station, becoming its first long term crew and everyone became one big happy space family. In 1986 the Soviet Union launched the space station, known as Mir, and in its 15 years of operation it was open to countries around the world, including the USA. Not too long afterwards, the two nations actually started working together. NEIL ARMSTRONG: It's one small step for man, one giant leap (for mankind). The 60s became a race to land a man on the moon and, well, you all know who won. KENNEDY, FORMER US PRESIDENT: We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. It was a quick lap around the Earth in a capsule known as Vostok 1, but it was a trip that sparked a new goal for the United States. In 1961 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Then America went one better with Ham the Chimpanzee, and finally the Soviets sent, well, a person. In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, which some people actually called Muttnik, because on board was the very first animal sent into space, Laika the dog. NEWS PRESENTER: Another spectacular year in the space race. This little sphere pushed the USA to create its own space agency, NASA, and the space race was on. In 1957 the Soviet Union stunned the world, launching the first artificial satellite called Sputnik. Pretty quickly the rivalry spilled into space. Russia was part of the Soviet Union and locked in a big political arm wrestle with the USA known as the Cold War. NEWS PRESENTER: This is the day the United States surpasses the Soviet Union in space for the first time. ![]() But it hasn't always been floating handshakes and cuddles between these two nations. That place is the International Space Station and since the very beginning Russians and Americans have been living up there, side by side. They sing songs, do some serious science, and keep an eye on the weather down below. For the last 22 years, floating above our heads, there's been a place where everyone gets along.
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