Module 2A Outer Space The Space Race was a competition between the Soviet Union and the United States to show their superiority in technological developments by exploring outer space After World War II, both nations started building their own long-range weapon forces Soon after that, scientists realised that rockets could be used to go into space The two teams had scientists and engineers who had contributed to the creation of rockets, used as weapons during the war In 1957, the US government informed that they would launch satellites the following year However, the Soviets were faster On October 4, 1957, they successfully launched the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, Sputnik The Americans, however, could only achieve their goal three months later, when they launched Explorer This defeat led to the creation of the NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration But this was just the beginning of the race The Soviets were also the first to transport animals when satellite Sputnik carried a dog, Laika, the first animal ever sent to outer space Both nations continued their Apollo space explorations by sending automated spacecrafts with animals In 1959, the Soviets maintained their leadership position when Luna flew near the Moon Moreover, a Soviet cosmonaut became the first man in space in 1961, followed by an American with a difference of twenty-three days That very same year, US president John F Kennedy expressed his wish to send a man to the Moon before the end of the decade There were several phases and previous flights During this period, a tragedy also occurred A fire destroyed a command module and killed the crew of Apollo 1, in 1967 And it was eventually in 1969 that Apollo 11 successfully landed on the Moon This was a great triumph for the Americans, who accomplished the task set eight years before and could finally be the first in the race The Space Race contributed to continuous technological and scientific evolution After the Soviet Union’s dissolution, Russia and the US started working together to improve technology and continue exploring the outer space Luna English Toolkit - Language & Culture Sputnik Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 The Space Race Module 2A Activities 1 Find the mistake and write the correct sentence a The Soviets launched their first satellite in 1958 b The US created the NASA to work on their first satellite c The US never sent animals to space d The craft Luna landed on the Moon e The Americans could never defeat the Soviets in the Space Race 2 Complete the sentences using comparatives a Sputnik was (small) than Explorer b The Soviets were (fast) than the Americans in the Space Race c The first Soviet man in space stayed (long) than the first American d Sputnik carried a (heavy) payload than Sputnik 3 Put the letters in order to form a verb in the infinitive Then look for its irregular past form in the text a edla: Past form: b anc: Past form: c cmoebe: Past form: d lyf: Past form: e vhea: Past form: 4 Design a poster that includes a timeline showing the most important events and developments in the Space Race You can look for more information and add illustrations English Toolkit - Language & Culture Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011