Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment: The Race for Space and World Prestige

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I and placed the first man-made object into orbit around the Earth. As the 184-pound sphere beeped innocently in outer space, the United States struggled to make sense of this momentous occasion. Scientifically, Sputnik realized humankind's ageless dream of escaping the Earth's atmosphere. The event marked the Soviet Union's contribution to the International Geo-physical  Year-an  effort  in  many  countries,  including  the  United States, to promote the scientific exploration of space. But Sputnik presented ominous military implications for  the United States. Over the previous decade, America's lead over the Soviet Union in the development  of  new  strategic  and  nuclear  weapons  had  declined.