The Dawn of Space Travel

As medium and long-range ballistic missile programs evolved in the United States and Soviet Union, so did the scientific potential for the rockets. Types such as the Redstone, Atlas, and Titan would later be used in the United States to launch people into space.

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, and less than a month later launch a dog named Laika into orbit and survived for seven days before being put to sleep, proving that living things could survive the journey into space. On January 31, 1958, the United States Army launched their own satellite, Explorer I, in response to the Soviet's satellite, starting a decade long race for the control of space.

In October of that year, the United States formally organized the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency whose goal was the peaceful exploration of space for the benefit of all of humanity. Soon after that many people were being launched into space on both sides.

Finally, on July 21 1969, the United States won the space race when they landed two astronauts on the surface of the moon by using the powerful Saturn V rocket developed specifically for this purpose. However, the Soviet Union also made great strides in robotics, and launched many lunar rovers, which would later become the basis for the Viking Mars lander later in the 70s.