The Space Race began with the launch of Sputnik, and from then on it did nothing but heat up. The launch of Sputnik did give the Soviets a lead, but The U.S. quickly answered back with the expedited launch of their satellite, the Explorer 1. Now that the U.S. had realized that they were behind, they began making major strides in the field of space exploration. The first change that thy made was creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and immediately after creating the Mercury program that had the goal to put a human into orbit. The Soviets made good use of their lead, though, and in April, 1961, they put the first person (Yuri Alekseyevich) into orbit aboard Vostok 1. NASA was closer to the Soviets this time and one month later Friendship 7 was put into orbit with John Glenn aboard.
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Soon after that launch president John F. Kennedy gave a speech in which he said something that rallied the imaginations of every American who heard it and caused every type of reaction. In the words of John F. Kennedy, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." He told America that if they were to reach the moon that they would have to work together. It was from that point on that the U.S. really started pulling forward in the Space Race. NASA realized that before they could send a man to the moon they would have to have a filler mission in which a group of three astronauts were sent into orbit in the same space craft. This program was called Gemini. There was more then one purpose to Gemini though. NASA realized that in addition to the three man team, the U.S. would also need them to perform vehicular activities (spacewalks, etc.) and stay in space for the length required for a moon
Soon after that launch president John F. Kennedy gave a speech in which he said something that rallied the imaginations of every American who heard it and caused every type of reaction. In the words of John F. Kennedy, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." He told America that if they were to reach the moon that they would have to work together. It was from that point on that the U.S. really started pulling forward in the Space Race. NASA realized that before they could send a man to the moon they would have to have a filler mission in which a group of three astronauts were sent into orbit in the same space craft. This program was called Gemini. There was more then one purpose to Gemini though. NASA realized that in addition to the three man team, the U.S. would also need them to perform vehicular activities (spacewalks, etc.) and stay in space for the length required for a moon