Chapter 25Sections 3 & 4

The Cold War at home and the Space Race

Cold War Fears

• The Cold War sparked new fears of communism at home.

• Leading the fight was the House ofHouse of Un-Un-American Activities CommitteeAmerican Activities Committee.

• Established in 1938 to investigate fascist groups in the U.S.

The Hollywood Ten

• This was a group of California film directors who were accused of having communist views.

• They were blacklisted from the film industry and their careers were destroyed.

The Search for Spies

• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

• Accused and sentenced to death for for giving away atomic secrets.

McCarthyism

• Claimed communist groups throughout the U.S. were plotting to overthrow the government.

Nuclear Anxiety

• In 1950 the U.S. scientists began working on the Hydrogen bomb.

• They claimed this would be 1000 times more powerful than the Atom bomb.

• Americans feared a nuclear war with the USSR.

• Americans began building “fall-out” shelters in their backyards.

The Sound Barrier

• On October 14th, 1947 U.S. air force test pilot Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier.

• He reaches a speed of over 750 miles an hour. –AKA- Mach 1.

• A sonic boom is echoed through the sky.

The Space Race Begins

• In October of 1957, the Soviet Union launches Sputnik into orbit.

• This was the 1st artificial satellite.

Explorer I

• The U.S. was behind the USSR in this “Space Race”.

• Explorer I was the U.S. satellite.

NASA

• The U.S. were looking for men with the “right stuff” to become astronauts.

• Test pilots from the U.S. armed forces were chosen.

The Mercury Program

• 53 test pilots were selected to go through a series of tests to become astronauts.

• 7 were chosen.

• This was NASA’s 1st space program known as Project Mercury.

• These were single manned missions.

1st Man in Space

• Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

1st American in Space

• Allan Shepard.

• Completed a 15 minute sub-orbital flight.

The Gemini Program

• In 1962 NASA begins its race to the moon.

• 15 more test pilots are chosen.

• Project Gemini begins.

• This was a 2 manned space flight.

The Apollo Program

• This began in 1967.

• This was a 3 manned mission.

• In July of 1969, man walked on the moon!

• Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin were the 1st.

• Mercury Astronauts Allan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and Wally Schirra were Apollo Astronauts.