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    The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon
    The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon
    The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon
    Ebook218 pages1 hour

    The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon

    By Matthew Brenden Wood and Samuel Carbaugh

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    About this ebook

    On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong landed gently on the lunar surface and became the first person to set foot on another world. People around the world stopped what they were doing to crowd around television sets and radios to witness one of the greatest achievements in human history—a man walking on the moon. How did we get there? Why haven’t we gone back?


    In The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon, kids ages 12 to 15 explore the race to the moon against the chilling backdrop of the Cold War. The Space Race was the period during and after the Cold War when America and the Soviet Union participated in a fierce competition to see which country could beat the other into space. It was a time of bitterness, fear, and secrecy, but it was also a moment in history when two countries directed resources toward pushing themselves to reach goals that were once thought unattainable. Would we have succeeded as far as we did without the competition to be first?


    While Neil Armstrong will be remembered as the first person to set foot on the moon, the people and events behind this accomplishment populate a fascinating tale of politics, science, technology, and teamwork that resulted in what might be the greatest accomplishment of the twentieth century. In The Space Race, middle school students explore this history of science and discover the political, social, and economic factors that led to incredible achievements in space, including the launch of Sputnik, the launch of Explorer I, and eventually, the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon, where Neil Armstrong took those famous first steps.


    By showing space events against the backdrop of the turmoil back on Earth, readers understand that scientific achievement doesn't happen in a vacuum, even when it happens in space! A wealth of links to primary sources makes this an interactive learning experience while science-minded STEAM activities link the historical and scientific material. Throughout the fun facts, cool photos, and investigative projects, kids are encouraged to explore creative and critical thinking and problem-solving strategies.


    The Space Race is one book in a set of four that explore great events of the twentieth century. Inquire and Investigate titles in this set include The Vietnam War; World War II: From the Rise of the Nazi Party to the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb; Globalization: Why We Care About Faraway Events; and The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon.


    Nomad Press books in the Inquire & Investigate series integrate content with participation, encouraging older readers to engage in student-directed learning as opposed to teacher-guided instruction. This student-centered approach provides readers with the tools they need to become inquiry-based learners. Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and STEM Education all place project-based learning as key building blocks in education. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Consistent with our other series, all of the activities in the books in the Inquire & Investigate series are hands-on, challenging readers to develop and test their own hypotheses, ask their own questions, and formulate their own solutions. In the process, readers learn how to analyze, evaluate, and present the data they collect. As informational texts our books provide key ideas and details from which readers can work out their own inferences. Nomad’s unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.


    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNomad Press
    Release dateMay 1, 2018
    ISBN9781619306622
    The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon

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      Book preview

      The Space Race - Matthew Brenden Wood

      Nomad Press

      A division of Nomad Communications

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Copyright © 2018 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from

      the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use.

      The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.

      ISBN Softcover: 978-1-61930-663-9

      ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-61930-661-5

      Educational Consultant, Marla Conn

      Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to

      Nomad Press

      2456 Christian St.

      White River Junction, VT 05001

      www.nomadpress.net

      Timeline

      Introduction

      The Race to the Moon

      Chapter 1

      The Rise of Communism

      Chapter 2

      The Cold War Begins

      Chapter 3

      Man in Space

      Chapter 4

      Small Steps to the Moon

      Chapter 5

      America Takes the Lead

      Chapter 6

      Crossing the Finish Line

      Index

      TIMELINE

      The Race to the Moon

      What is the Space Race?

      The Space Race was the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to explore space using manned and unmanned spacecraft. Superiority in space would demonstrate the superiority of the winner back on Earth.

      Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the lunar surface in 1969 captivated the world like no other event in human history. People everywhere stopped what they were doing to watch and listen as someone set foot on another celestial object for the very first time. It was an incredible achievement, one that would be repeated five more times.

      Many people think of the first moon landing as the result of human drive, intelligence, and daring—which is certainly true. But what were the real reasons behind the decision to go to the moon? What did it take to get there? And why haven’t we been back?

      EARLY ROCKETS

      Today’s rockets are incredible feats of engineering. They are capable of generating enough power to fling space probes to the edges of the solar system and send car-sized robots to Mars.

      The earliest and simplest rockets, fireworks, are still familiar to us. Around 100 CE, the Chinese began experimenting with a simple type of explosive powder, similar to gunpowder.

      Eventually, gunpowder-filled bamboo tubes were attached to arrows, which helped keep them pointed in the right direction. This was the first example of a solid-fuel rocket. They were even used in war. In 1232, devices called fire-arrows were used by the Chinese in battle against the Mongols.

      Most of the rockets at the time, however, were used either in firework displays or in battles to scare and frighten the enemy. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that rockets grew beyond their primitive beginnings.

      The Legend of Wan Hu

      According

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