The competition between the USA and the USSR. How did the race get started and how did it end? Who were the prominent people involved in this race?

1. Race To Space
American
Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 in
Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was an American test pilot and a
former astronaut. He is most famous for becoming the
first human to set foot on the Moon.
His love for flying started at a young age when his father took him to an air show. From
then on his goal was to become a pilot. At the age of 15, he got his pilot's license.
Armstrong went to Purdue University and earned his bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical
Engineering. He later got his master’s degree at the University of Southern California.
After graduating from college, he joined the Navy and flew planes during the Korean
War. He then went on to become a test pilot, flying newly developed aircraft. During his
career he flew over 200 different types of aircraft! His experiences as a test pilot inspired
him to become an astronaut and, in 1957, he was selected to join the USA’s Space Race
team.
The Space Race Begins
In 1949 Albert II was the first monkey in space. Albert went into space 14th June, 1949
in a specially adapted American V2 rocket. In November 1957, the Russian space dog
Laika became the first animal to orbit the earth.
After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia) became
enemies. This period was called the Cold War. By 1959 both Russia and the USA were in
a race to land an astronaut on the Moon. They were competing with each other to prove
that they were the most powerful country in the world. Space exploration became a key
area in which they could show their superiority.
Russia beat the United States to put the first man in space, when in 1961 Yuri Gagarin
flew into space in his rocket, Vostok 1.

2. Russian
In April 1961, Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin became
the first man in space. He was in space for around 2
hours and then returned to Earth. He did not land on
the Moon so the race had not yet been won.
The first woman in space was Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova, in 1963. Even
though she didn’t land there, a crater on the far side of the Moon is named after her!
The First Men to Walk on The Moon
In 1963 John F. Kennedy, President of USA, promised the world that the US would land
men on the moon before 1970. Before risking people's lives, NASA sent a robot spaceship
to the Moon, to make sure they could land safely.
On 20th July 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong (left), and then Buzz Aldrin
(right), took "one small step" and became the first and second men to walk on the moon.
Michael Collins (centre) waited for them in orbit around the moon, in the command
module spacecraft that would take them all home. The first words said on the moon
were "the Eagle has landed" and as Armstrong stepped onto the moon's surface he said
his famous line "that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".
The Apollo 11 mission had three spacecraft: the Command Module Columbia, a Service
Module, and the Lunar Module Eagle. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended
to the Moon in Eagle, Michael Collins remained alone in Columbia.
Their spaceship, Apollo 11 worked perfectly, flying them 250,000 miles to the moon, and
bringing them all the way back safely to earth. They all survived the journey meaning
that the USA were victorious and had won the race.

3. Answer the questions below
1. What was Neil Armstrong most known for?
__________________________________________________________________________
2. At what age Armstrong got his pilot's license?
3. Where did Neil Armstrong received his bachelor’s degree?
__________________________________________________________________________
4. The first person to go into space and circle the Earth was ________________________.
5. In 1963, _____________________________________ was the first woman in space.
6. Who was the President of the United States who said that the US would land on the
moon before 1970? _______________________________________
7. Name the astronauts on board for the Apollo 11 mission.
__________________________________________________________________________
8. The first words said on the moon were _______________________________________.
9. What famous quote dia Neil Arsmtrong say as he made his first steps on the moon?
__________________________________________________________________________
10. What was the 'Eagle'?
__________________________________________________________________________
11. Where was the third astronaut while the other two were on the Moon?
__________________________________________________________________________
Answer:
1. He was the first person to set foot on the Moon
2. 15 years old.
3. Purdue University
4. Yuri Gagarin
5. Valentina Tereshkova
6. John F. Kennedy
7. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins
8. "the Eagle has landed"
9. "that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".
10. The lunar module that actually landed on the Moon.
11. He was in the Command Module orbiting the Moon.