Space

Remembering the Space Race

The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union started not long after World War II and captivated people across the world. These decades were marked by scientific achievements and setbacks that make this space-obsessed era one of the most fascinating periods in the 20th century.

Leaders in the race changed throughout the era. The Soviets took the lead in October of 1957 when it launched an earth satellite called Sputnik, which took an elliptical low Earth orbit. The Russians also put the first human in space. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut, orbited the Earth, the first-ever crewed spacecraft.

But America quickly caught up. On May 5, 1961, astronaut?Alan Shepard?became the first American to travel in space when he launched a 15-minute, sub-orbital flight aboard NASA's Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7.

?In 1959, NASA selected its first group of astronauts, the “Mercury Seven.” They were called this because the seven men would fly on the Mercury spacecraft.?In 1962, John Glenn became the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth.

After this, America dominated the space race. It landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, and launched the first space shuttle.

It was an exciting era. Here are some facts about the space race.

·???????? First Animal Sent Into Space in 1947

Believe it or not, fruit flies were the first living organisms to be blasted into space. 1946, the U.S. military conducted a series of experiments in New Mexico’s?White Sands Missile Range?with future space flight in mind. Using?V-2 ballistic missiles?— which had been seized from Germany by the U.S. after World War II — the government propelled biological samples such as corn and rye seeds as far as 80 miles into the sky.

On February 20, 1947, a capsule containing fruit flies was attached to one of the missiles and launched to 67 miles above the ground. The flies were chosen to test the effects of cosmic radiation on living beings and were the perfect candidate for a number of reasons, including their small size, minimal weight, and a genetic code analogous to that of humans, containing similar disease-causing genes. As the rocket began its descent, the capsule detached and drifted back down to Earth using a parachute, and the flies remained alive and unaffected.

·???????? Apollo 12 Was Struck by Lightning

In November 1969, just four months after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, the?Apollo 12?mission was launched. But 36.5 seconds into the flight, as lightning struck the Saturn V rocket. The unexpected event disrupted the onboard control panels. Another bolt struck at the 52-second mark. The crew shifted the craft to an auxiliary power supply that allowed the mission to continue. By the 11-minute-and-34-second mark, the crew was floating in space. With disaster averted, the Apollo 12 astronauts became the second group of individuals to walk on the moon.

Alan Shepard Played Golf on the Moon

On February 6, 1971, during a?live broadcast?of the Apollo 14 spacewalk, astronaut Alan Shepard produced a retractable six-iron golf club and took four swings on the moon’s surface. Because of his?bulky spacesuit, Shepard couldn’t grip the club with both hands and swung it solely with his right, causing him to miss the golf ball on his first two swings. Shepard hit the ball with his third swing, though it only traveled 24 yards.

With his fourth and final shot, Shepard made flush contact and?claimed?the ball traveled “miles and miles and miles”; in reality, it only reached a distance of about 40 yards, though it remained airborne for longer than here on Earth given the moon’s lack of gravity. After returning to Earth in 1974, Shepard donated the golf club to the USGA Golf Museum in New Jersey, where it remains a popular artifact.

No One Has Walked on the Moon Since 1972

In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first of the 12 people–all Americans— who have set foot on the moon. The?final moon walk?to date occurred just three years later as part of the Apollo 17 mission, with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt. The pair explored the region for seven hours a day over the course of three straight days. Before leaving, they left behind a plaque that reads, “Here man completed his first explorations of the moon.” Nobody has returned to the moon since.

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Frank Victoria is an award-winning author and screenwriter. He’s been an Amazon bestseller with his recent book, The Founders’ Plot, a political thriller for our times. He donates proceeds of his books to Tunnels to Towers and Fisher House, helping military veterans and first responders. His novella, The Ultimate Bet is available on his website and Amazon. Check out his new website: FrankVictoriaAuthor.com

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