During WWII powerful rockets were created, the superpowers wanted to use this technology too get into space. Eisenhower announced a programme in 1955 to send a man-made satellite. However on October 1957 the Soviets shocked the Americans by sending the first man-made satellite called Sputnik, later they rubbed salt into the wound by sending Sputnik II with a dog named Laika. The USA responded by pouring money into space research, in 1958 the funds payed off and the Americans launched Explorer I sattelite, and NASA was set up in July that year. The USA seemed to be edging ahead but on the 12 April 1961 the Soviets shocked everyone by sending the first human in space, Major Yuri Gagarin. When he returned safely he was celebrated as a hero, Eisenhower responded immediatly by starting the space programme to put a man on the moon. It was a long, difficultt and expensive journey but in July 1969 Apollo 11 landed Neil Armstrong on the moon.
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