2.+America+Enters+the+Race

America Enters the Race
On January 31, 1958, The United States finally launched its first unmanned satellite into space. Named Explorer I, the satelllite was launched into orbit using a Jupiter C rocket from Von Braun's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Though the earlier lauch of Sputnik I had soaked up much of the media fanfare, Explorer I was immensely important because it used a cosmic ray detector to record radipactive activity in the earth's orbit and then relay its findings back to earth. The most significant finding of this data was that the earth's magnetic field trapped large amounts of extremely strong radioactive particles in bands that would come to be known as Van Allen Belts, named after their discoverer.



The Gold Rush
On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, thus creating NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency). Once America had finally launched an artificial satellite into space, the Space Race had unofficially begun. Over the next four years, both the Soviet Union and the United States poured countless resources into furthering their space programs. The U.S.S.R sent three Sputnik satellietes into orbit, while America launched five Explorer crafts. In an attempt to save their reputation and boost American morale during the Cold War, NASA attempted to make America the first nation to land a probe on the moon's surface. Once again, tohugh, the Soviets beat America to the punch...