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America was worried that Russia could start bombing them if they wanted. The fear of Russia being the first ones in space was amplified by the Cold War, and many Americans thought that by dominating space, the Russians would be able to launch any kind of attack they felt like at any time on the U.S. from space without any opposition, because the U.S. had no satellites in space. It started the space race, which was a period of time during which the United States rushed to get satellites up into space as well, to close the rift that had emerged between Russian and American space technology.

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15y ago
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16y ago

They felt left behind in the arms race, and were anxious to catch up with Soviet technology. Although Sputnik wasn't a weapon, the ability to launch it showed great advances in rocket science - and rockets are a major part of the arms industry.

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15y ago

The US launched its first satellite, the Explorer 1 on January 31, 1958. The US satellite program was delayed by technical difficulties and launch failures, including the Vanguard TV3in December of 1957. Public and political reactions to the space-race with the Soviet Union were typically chagrin at being in "second place". This was exacerbated by Soviet successes in manned flights, which were nonetheless only a few months ahead of their US counterparts. It was not until the manned lunar missions of Apollo (1968-1972) that the American space program assumed undisputed predominance.

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8y ago

The US finally managed to launch a satellite of their own, Explorer I, the following year, and began to devote considerably more resources to the Space Race. The military uses of space were not yet restricted by treaty, and Earth orbit represented the ultimate access to an enemy's homeland. This might have included reconnaisance (as now still occurs), or something as threatening as an orbital bombing platform for nuclear weapons.
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US was extremely worried and anxious because they thought that the Soviet Union could drop an atomic bomb on the US.
spent more on science, math

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15y ago

It reacted by giving the president papers on how it may be able to attack the US with nuclear weapons.

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15y ago

They had many attempts at satellites and eventually made NASA.

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12y ago

The US began to try and get a man to the moon to beat the Russians in the Space Race.

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14y ago

It started the space race.

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Q: How did the US respond to Sputnik 1?
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Related questions

How did the US respond to the successes of sputnik 1 and 2?

We cried.


Why did sputnik create such a panic in America?

If they can put a satellite in orbit they can launch a H-bomb at us too. It wasn't quite true with Sputnik 1, but it was with Sputnik 2.


What does the 1 in sputnik 1 mean?

It means it was the first sputnik.


Did the US know about Sputnik before it launched?

Sputnik came as a surprise, the US did not know about it in advance.


What was Sputnik 1 and 2?

Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. It marked the beginning of the space race between the US and the USSR. Sputnik 2 carried the first living being, a dog named Laika, into orbit in 1957.


Is Sputnik 1 a Russian spacecraft?

Sputnik 1 was a Russian satellite.


Why was there not a sputnik 4?

Because the Sputnik program ended with Sputnik 3. Albeit there was a Sputnik 40 and 41 but these were to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Sputnik 1.


What is the names of the s first spacecrafts into space?

Sputnik 1 Sputnik 1


How did the US respond to the USSR's launch of Sputnik in 1958?

The US responded to the USSR's launch of Sputnik in 1957 by ramping up its own space program, leading to the establishment of NASA. This event also spurred increased investment in science and technology education in the US, as well as the development of the National Defense Education Act to advance math and science education.


What was first satellite in space called?

the name of the first satellite is Sputnik


What did sputnik 1 lead to?

It started the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union.


Were Sputnik 1 and 2 launched at the same place?

No, Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 were not launched from the same place. Sputnik 1 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, while Sputnik 2 was launched from the same location.