Starter quiz
- Write the missing word. ______ is an action or system intended to prevent or discourage someone from doing something.
- 'deterrence' ✓
- Who was the first country to develop nuclear weapons?
- Britain
- China
- France
- USA ✓
- USSR
-
- How many times more powerful were hydrogen bombs (H-bombs) compared to atom bombs (A-bombs)?
- 10
- 100
- 1000 ✓
-
- What was the name of the theory which suggested that nuclear weapons made war between the superpowers unlikely?
- BAD
- MAD ✓
- SAD
-
- Write the missing word. In the late 1950s, some US officials became worried that a ______ gap existed between the USA and USSR.
- 'missile' ✓
- Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
- 1⇔Atomic bombs first developed
- 2⇔Hydrogen bombs first developed
- 3⇔ICBMs first developed
- 4⇔SLBMs first developed
Exit quiz
- What is an object that moves around a planet in space called?
- 'satellite' ✓
- What was the name of the first woman in space?
- 'Valentina Tereshkova' ✓
- Which country sent the first man into space?
- Britain
- China
- France
- USA
- USSR ✓
-
- Which event is usually considered the end of the Space Race?
- the launch of the first satellite into Earth's orbit
- the first manned spaceflight
- the first moon landing ✓
- the first manned flight to Mars
-
- Who said the following in 1961: "the dramatic achievements in space have an impact on the minds of men everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take"?
- John F Kennedy ✓
- Neil Armstrong
- Nikita Khrushchev
- Yuri Gagarin
-
- Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
- 1⇔Sputnik 1 launched
- 2⇔US fears about a missile gap grew.
- 3⇔Discovery XIV launched
- 4⇔Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
- 5⇔JFK announced plans for the US to land men on the Moon.
- 6⇔Apollo 11 successfully reached the Moon.
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The Space Race was a competition between the US and USSR in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Security and prestige both motivated the Space Race.
- The USSR launched the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957.
- Soviet successes in space triggered fears that the US was falling behind.
- US astronauts landed on the moon in 1969.
Common misconception
The USA was in the lead throughout the Space Race.
The USSR beat the USA to launch the first satellite into orbit and to put both the first man and first woman in space.
Keywords
Satellite - in this context, an object that moves around a planet in space
Orbit - the circular journey that a spacecraft or planet makes around the sun, the moon, or another planet
Prestige - respect and admiration people feel for someone else, often because they are successful
Icbm - short for inter-continental ballistic missile; a missile that can deliver bombs to hit targets over 5500 km away
+