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Cold War Interview
*see word document -
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Cold War
The cold war was a conflict between communist and capitalist countries, primarily the Soviet Union and the United States, that took place after WWII. -
Soviet Development of ICBM
The Soviets announced the development of a rocket that could travel great distances, which they called the intercontinental ballistic missile (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles). Americans, feeling that they had fallen behind, threw money at science education. This relates to the GASPIRE theme economic, as the U.S. and U.S.S.R. governments began to produce new technologies that had a major effect on the economy. -
First Soviet Satellite launch
The first satellite that was put into space was the Sputnik, launched by the Soviets (Dickson). This marked one of the first evens in the space race, in which the Soviet Union beat the U.S. This fits the GASPIRE theme artistic, as the satellite was designed in a certain fashion, that can be seen as art by a scientist. -
First U.S. Satellite launch
The first U.S. satellite was launched 1 year after the Soviets launched theirs, and was named the Explorer 1. The United States was still behind the Soviet Union, and had to catch up. The GASPIRE theme Intellectual can be related to the launching as there was much intellect involved in designing and putting the satellite in space. -
Luna 2 Probe Reaches the Moon
Luna 2 was the second probe of its kind launched towards the moon, made by the Soviets. It was the first man made object to hit another celestial body. Once again the U.S. fell behind. But not for long. This relates to the GASPIRE theme of geographic, since the probe landed on the Mare Imbrium location on the moon, effecting its success. -
First Man In Space
Yuri Gagarin was a soviet that was the first human to orbit Earth. The Soviet union came very close to the United States, and managed to beat them. He made a 108 minute orbital flight. This ties to the GASPIRE theme Social, as this man was seen as a hero at the top of the classes. He created nationalism among the Soviet Union. -
First American in Space
The United States once again came short of putting the first man in space, but they succeed shortly after the Soviet Union. Alan Shepard was the astronaut. This can be tied to the GASPIRE theme cultural, because the desire to explore and expand technology is a part of human culture. -
First American orbits Earth and Mariner 2 flies past Venus
A man by the name John Glenn, Jr. was the first American to orbit the Earth. During the same time, the Mariner 2 probe launched by the U.S. flies past Venus. This can relate to the GASPIRE theme psychological, as the information from the Mariner 2 probe can change the ideas of the scientists, and alter their decisions to better technology. -
*Cuban Missile Crisis
*This event is needed for the GASPIRE theme of religion. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day period of confrontation between communists and the democratic U.S. Missiles were brought to Cuba, supplied by the Soviets, making the capital of the U.S. a possible target. This relates to religion because the atheists of the communist regime in Cuba and the Soviet Union are the primary reason for the use of terror without reason thus the bringing of missiles (What influence did religion have...). -
First Woman in Space
The first woman in space was a Soviet named Valentina Tereshkova. This was a leap that the United States had not made yet. She completed 48 orbits during her 3 days in space (Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova). This definitely connects to the GASPIRE theme social, as putting a woman in space helped break the social norm of women in society, and helped petition for equal rights. -
Thoughts on the Moon Landing
*see word document -
First Man on the Moon
Apollo 11 was the first manned moon landing, with the three American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins (Stenger). This was a major technological triumph, making the progress of the Soviet Union look minuscule. Many Americans took pride in their nation, and what they had accomplished. In the entirety of the space race, this is seen as the greatest achievement. This can be seen as a psychological GASPIRE event, because it changed the minds of many people. -
Venera 7 lands on Venus
Venera 7 was the first space probe to land on another planet, and send information back to earth. The soviets sent it to Venus, and it successfully landed and sent information back for 51 minutes (Reeves). The U.S. had already put a man on the moon, so the Soviet Union continued to focus on their innovation on space probes. Speaking of innovation, this event connects to the GASPIRE theme of innovation, because it represents innovation in the field of space probes. -
First Manned Space Station
The first manned space station was the Salyut 1 launched by the Soviet Union. It was monolithic, meaning it was launched as one piece without a crew. This connects to the GASPIRE theme of geographic, because the space station could be used to get a greater sense of the geography of the Earth, as it was far above the surface. -
Pioneer 7 sent toward Jupiter
Pioneer 7 was a space probe launched by the United States following the Apollo 11 mission. It was sent toward Jupiter to collect interplanetary data. Despite the U.S.'s great achievement, the space race was far from over. This relates to the gaspire theme of economic, because the need for interplanetary data created many jobs in the space industry. -
U.S. and Soviet Union launch first joint mission
The first joint mission between the United States and Soviet union was the Apollo-Soyuz mission. It started in Kazakhstan, and then at Kennedy Space Center. This symbolized partnership between the countries, which was a first during the Cold War. This fits the theme political, as the countries had much different political policies, but joined forces in the space race, which is a political movement. -
U.S. Election
It is thought by many that Russia rigged the U.S. election of 2016. People believe that they hacked American servers, created fake votes, and swayed public opinion to get Trump elected to office. Although this is a widely debated topic, there is no doubt that they had some influence on the outcome. Americans' anger over this issue could be the spark for another Cold War. This relates to the GASPIRE theme political, because the election is involved with politics, and the president is a politician
