Sputnik I.

The Soviet Union was the first nation to enter space. On 4 October 1957 it launched the first artificial satellite, called Sputnik I. The Soviet satellite was a small metal ball that did not do much of anything. It weighed 185 pounds, was 23 inches in diameter, and orbited Earth every 90 minutes. It carried two tiny radio transmitters that produced a repetitive beeping noise as it traveled. Sputnik I seemed to demonstrate that the Soviets were capable of producing rockets that could also send nuclear weapons to land on American soil.

American Response.

America responded energetically. In 1958 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created to meet the challenge. During 1958-1959 America launched nineteen satellites. These included the communications satellite Score, which had a military significance. Both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had a moon fixation: they wanted to launch...