USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The successful launch came as a shock to experts and citizens in the United States, who had hoped that the United States would accomplish this scientific advancement first. The fact that the Soviets were successful fed fears that the U.S. military had generally fallen behind in developing new technology.

Detailed explanation-2: -A year after the launch of Sputnik, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally launching the “Space Race” between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Detailed explanation-3: -Officially, Sputnik was launched to correspond with the International Geophysical Year, a solar period that the International Council of Scientific Unions declared would be ideal for the launching of artificial satellites to study Earth and the solar system.

Detailed explanation-4: -Sputnik’s launch caused fear of the Soviets using new rocket technology for military purposes and caught the United States off guard. In response, the United States increased their efforts and resources to catch up to the Soviets. These efforts led to the Apollo missions that eventually landed men on the moon in 1969.