Question

What event most clearly prompted the US government to pursue the Space Race?

1)the successful launch of Yuri Gagarin into space by the Soviet Union
2)the Soviet Union’s surprising launch of Sputnik into Earth’s orbit
3)the declaration by President Kennedy to land a man on the Moon
4)the US government’s increase in defense spending after World War II
5)the sudden invasion of South Korea by the North Korean military

Answer 1

Most likely (2). The United States was surprised in being trumped by the USSR and it also gave them a wake up call on just how advanced their rocket technology was.

In general, it was a huge scientific, and political, triumph and it scared quite a few people on just how far they had come. The military, on the other hand, saw that if the USSR could launch a satellite into space, it wasn't much of a stretch to imagine their range against targets on Earth.

Answer 2

A.

Answer 3

2