The Race for Space

Separate from the nuclear arms race, but just as important, was the race to put a man in space. While both Soviets and Americans had demonstrated their ability to build massive atomic weapons, the question still remained as to what was the best system of delivery. ICBM's seemed to be the most feasible at the time, but of course there was always the need to take the next step and to further demonstrate technological and military superiority. The United States and the Soviet Union both felt that the next step should be space exploration. By sending ordinances into space, one can accomplish two feats to display technological and military dominance. First, if you have the capacity to lauch satellites and vehicles into space, then you also have the ability to lauch missiles across the globe. This has obvious implications for the arms race as it shows that you are never safe from atomic weapons no matter how far away you may be. The second advantage of establishing a presence in space is that you are able to store a nuclear arsenal in orbit which could also be used to attack any point on Earth.

It is strange that when we speak about the race for space, very little of the conversation seems to pertain to scientific advancement. Instead the clear priority for both sides was military and political posturing. Whoever established themself in space would demonstrate their technological superiority and their ability to destroy the enemy in a faster, more unexpected fashion. This is why the perception of a nation's accomplishment in space was far more important than the actual accomplishments themselves. This explains why Kennedy was so willing to dump massive amounts of funding into a project that theoretically would not bring much in actual tangible returns.