Questions and Answers
What date did the Apollo 11 spacecraft lift off from Earth?
July 16, 1969
Which astronaut remained in the command module Columbia while the other two landed on the Moon?
Michael Collins
How long were the two astronauts who landed on the Moon able to walk on its surface?
2 hours
What did the astronauts do while on the lunar surface?
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What was the name of the first living being launched into space?
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In which year did Yuri A. Gagarin become the first human to orbit Earth?
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Where did Laika, the first living being launched into space, travel to?
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Which astronaut completed 48 orbits around Earth in Vostok 6 in 1963?
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How long did Yuri A. Gagarin's historic orbital flight last?
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What was the primary reason driving the dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union during the early space race?
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In what context did the space race become a symbol of superiority between the United States and the Soviet Union?
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What role did the Cold War context play in influencing the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the early space race?
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How did the United States view itself in contrast to the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s?
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What aspect of the dispute during the early space race contributed significantly to the political and ideological tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union?
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Why did achieving technological superiority become a central focus of the dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union during the early space race?
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What were the main driving factors behind the early space race between the United States and the Soviet Union?
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Which event was considered a major triumph for the Soviet Union in the early space race?
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What did the United States do in response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1?
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Which astronaut became the first American to orbit the Earth during the early space race?
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How did the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union contribute to advancements in space exploration?
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Study Notes
Space Exploration
- The first launches of objects or space vehicles took place in the late 1950s, with the United States and the Soviet Union competing in the space race.
- Both countries used animals (dogs and chimpanzees) to experiment with the effects of zero gravity on living beings.
First Living Being in Space
- Laika, a Soviet space dog, was the first living being launched into space on November 3, 1957, aboard the Sputnik 2 satellite.
- Laika survived the launch but died due to lack of oxygen; the satellite was destroyed upon entering the Earth's atmosphere after 162 days in flight.
First Human in Space
- Yuri A. Gagarin became the first human in space on April 12, 1961, completing one Earth orbit aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
- Gagarin's flight lasted one hour and 48 minutes, and he landed safely in Siberia.
Vostok Program
- The Vostok program saw five more flights in the following two years, with Valentina Tereshkova becoming the first woman astronaut on June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6.
- Tereshkova's spacecraft completed 48 orbits of the Earth.
First Moon Landing
- The Apollo 11 mission successfully landed astronauts Edwin E. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong on the Moon's surface on July 20, 1969.
- Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the Moon, followed by Aldrin.
- The astronauts spent over two hours on the Moon's surface, collecting samples, taking photographs, and conducting experiments.
Return to Earth
- The Apollo 11 spacecraft returned to Earth without incident, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
- The astronauts were recovered safely near Hawaii.
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Description
Learn about the early space launches and competitions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the late 1950s. Explore the development of programs to launch humans into space and the use of animals in space missions.
