Sputnik I. The first manmade object in space. Launched by USSR in October 1957. The space race between America and Russia began some five years earlier, but Russia got there first. About a month later they launched Sputnik II, carrying Laika, the first dog in space (she died). America was afraid of the 'soviet threat' now that they could possibly launch nuclear weapons - they had to be able to compete. The USA launched Explorer I in January 1958, however they had been attempting unsuccessfully to send monkeys into space for some ten years. (Interestingly the experimenters placed electrodes under the animals' skin). Understandably there was a great deal of secrecy about research and a great deal of publicity about successes. The Roswell incident occurred in July, 1948, just about the time when America began sacrificing monkeys to the space race. Depending where you stand on conspiracy theory America landed a manned mission on the moon in 1969. |
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