HISTORY
THE COLD WAR ERA
|
Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
|
|
|
Wanted to start a colony on the moon to deal with the earth’s overpopulation
|
|
|
Wanted to start a colony on the moon that US citizens could relocate in the event of nuclear war
|
|
|
Feared that the USSR would use its space technology to deliver nuclear weapons
|
|
|
Hoped to fulfill Kennedy’s dream of developing a satellite shield capable of destroying Soviet missiles
|
Detailed explanation-1: -By 1959, American observers believed the Soviet Union would be the first to get a human into space because of the time needed to prepare for Mercury’s first launch. On April 12, 1961, the USSR surprised the world again by launching Yuri Gagarin into a single orbit around the Earth in a craft they called Vostok 1.
Detailed explanation-2: -Americans were worried that the Soviet Union had better technology than the U.S. A few weeks after Gagarin’s flight, the United States sent Alan Shepard into space, but Shepard did not orbit the earth.
Detailed explanation-3: -The launch of Sputnik gave the Soviet Union an enormous boost in world respect and influence. Politicians and average Americans reacted in shock, and demanded increases in military and science education spending.