UNCOVERING THE PAST The different types and uses of primary and secondary sources sources related to the Space Race Sourcing evidence determining context and revealing bias how events in the Space Race were reported in the United States and in the Soviet Union An overview of the Space Race and the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union the importance of history and studying events of the past INTRODUCTION THE PAST COMES ALIVE 4 HISTORICAL SOURCES TYPES OF EVIDENCE 8 ANALYZING EVIDENCE INTERPRETATION 16 THE STORY UNCOVERED THE SPACE RACE 20 DIFFERENT VIEWS AFTER THE RACE 34 MODERN EXAMPLES HISTORY REPEATED 38 The fear of Soviet communism in North America initiating the race to get craft and weapons into space the space programs of the two countries the race effectively ending as the United States lands people on the moon How the Soviets and Americans worked together to develop new space technology Space Shuttle missions the International Space Station cooperation between several countries to explore space Timeline 42 Bibliography 44 Internet Guidelines 45 Glossary 46 Index 48
INTRODUCTION THE PAST COMES ALIVE Humanity must rise above Earth to the top of the atmosphere and beyond for only thus will we fully understand the world in which we live Socrates Greek philosopher c 400 b c The Space Race was an event that happened in the past between the United States and the Soviet Union Following World War II the two nations became rivals due largely to their vastly different political systems and beliefs about how societies should work The Soviets wanted to spread their communist ideals to other nations which the United States opposed and feared This time in history became known as the Cold War and it lasted until the early 1990s At the start of the Cold War the two superpowers vied for dominance in the Arms Race One result was the creation of powerful rockets that could launch objects into space In the summer of 1955 the United States declared it would send artificial satellites into space in the next few years A few days later the U S S R made a similar decree The two nations spent nearly two decades trying to best each other in the Space Race They wanted to prove themselves as leaders in the areas of scientific military and technical research and development Historians are people who study the past They look for sources of information that provide evidence about major events and people in earlier times They analyze and interpret these sources to find out how we can prevent similar events in the future The Space Race tells us about beliefs and culture of the time It had a major influence on people and politics that continues to shape society today Many different viewpoints were captured using cameras and other recording devices In addition events that took place during the Space Race have been well preserved in interviews books posters movies and more 4 UNCOVERING THE PAST
DEFINITIONS The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics U S S R was a communist country in Northern Asia and Eastern Europe that was made up of Russia and 14 other republics or distinct regions Soviet is a term used to describe anything related to the U S S R Communism refers to an economic and political system in which all property is owned by its members and is used for the good of all people Capitalism refers to an economic and political system in which trade and industry are privately owned During the 1960s and 1970s 12 U S astronauts walked on the moon as part of the Apollo program They are the only people to have walked on the moon to date THE SPACE RACE 5
