Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and I'll be your history teacher for today.

I'm really looking forward to starting our learning journey together, and my role will be to make sure that you can meet today's learning objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the development of the Cold War, where we've been asking ourselves, how peaceful was peaceful coexistence? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to analyse the events of the Space Race.

There are four key words which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are satellite, orbit, prestige, and ICBM.

A satellite is an object that moves around a planet in space.

An orbit is the circular journey that a spacecraft or planet makes around the sun, the moon, or another planet.

Prestige refers to the respect and admiration people feel for someone else, often because they are successful.

And ICBM is short for intercontinental ballistic missile, which is a missile that can deliver bombs to hit targets over 5,500 kilometres away.

Today's lesson will be split into three parts, and we'll begin by asking ourselves, what was the Space Race? During the 1950s and 1960s, competition between the USA and USSR extended to space.

The two superpowers competed with one another in the development of new technologies and exploration of space.

This competition became known as the Space Race.

Over the course of the Space Race, major superpower rivalry focused on launching satellites into orbit, launching the first manned space flights, and a race to the moon.

So, thinking about what we've heard so far, I want you to write the missing word from the following sentence.

The Space Race included competition to launch blank into orbit as well as sending men into space.

So, what's the missing word? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the missing word was satellites.

The Space Race included competition to launch satellites into orbit, as well as sending men into space.

In July, 1955, the US announced its intention to launch a satellite into space by 1958.

Less than one month later, the USSR had begun its own plans to do exactly the same.

The Space Race continued until the end of 1960s.

Significant resources were invested into the space programmes of each superpower during the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1968 alone, the USA and USSR both spent just over $14 billion on their space programmes.

So, let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

We have a statement on the screen that reads neither superpower treated the Space Race as particularly important.

But is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So, two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that both the USA and USSR spent just over $14 million each on their space programmes in 1968 alone.

And the second says that both the USA and USSR spent just over $14 billion each on their space programmes in 1968 alone.

So, which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B.

Both the USA and USSR spent just over $14 billion each on their space programmes in 1968 alone.

The superpowers' commitment to the Space Race during the Cold War was motivated by two main factors, security and prestige.

So, we'll think about each of these motives in turn.

So, let's start by considering security.

Technology used for space exploration could have military applications.

Rocket designs originated from the design of intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs, developed as part of the nuclear arms race.

This made the competition over the development of a rocket which could successfully get a satellite into space particularly intense in the late 1950s.

Furthermore, successful space exploration might secure each country's own security and threaten that of their rival.

As well as placing weapons in space, the possibility of launching satellites could also benefit each country if they wanted to spy on the other.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, which type of weapon were the rockets used in space programmes closely related to? Was it artillery, ICBMs, or tanks? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was B.

Rockets were closely related to ICBMs, and this made the competition over developing successful rockets, which could put satellites into space, particularly intense.

And prestige was also a key motive for both the USA and the USSR.

Successful space exploration depended upon expertise, sophisticated technology, and huge financial resources.

As a competition, the Space Race allowed for direct comparison between the USA and the USSR.

Success in space developed a symbolic significance for claims that either communism or capitalism was the superior ideology.

President Kennedy even suggested very clearly in 1961 that the Space Race could help countries make a determination of which road communism or capitalism they should take in the future.

So, let's check our understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to change one word to correct the following sentence.

The USA and USSR both hoped that achievements in space could help them demonstrate that their chosen ideology was inferior to that of their rival.

So, consider which word seems to be incorrect and what should it be changed to.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the incorrect word was inferior and that this should have been changed to superior.

The USA and USSR both hoped that achievements in space could help them demonstrate that their chosen ideology was superior to that of their rival.

So, now, we're in a good position to put all of our knowledge about what the Space Race was into practise.

I want you to study the table.

It has four questions which say, who was involved, when did it take place, what happened, and why did it take place? I want you to write a brief summary to answer each of those questions about the Space Race.

So, pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So, I asked you to write a brief summary to answer each of the questions about the Space Race in our table, and your answers may have included for who was involved, that the USA and the USSR were the two countries competing with one another.

For when did it take place, that it began in 1955 and continued until the end of the 1960s.

For what happened, that the US and USSR competed to develop new technologies like satellites and even raced to the moon.

And for why did it take place, that rocket technology had security applications and successes in space helped each power claim it was superior to the other.

So, really well done if your own responses look something like those models, which we've just seen there.

And now, we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson for today, where we are going to think about the early years of the Space Race.

In both the USA and USSR, the first five years of the Space Race mostly focused on the development of rockets and attempts to successfully launch satellites into the Earth's orbit.

In the summer of 1955, both the USA and USSR declared their intention to launch satellites into the Earth's orbit, representing the beginning of the Space Race.

The Soviet programme was specifically targeted at achieving a launch before the Americans could do so.

Both countries were able to capitalise on existing work on the development of missile technologies such as ICBMs to produce rockets capable of launching satellites into space.

In October, 1957, the USSR successfully launched a satellite known as Sputnik into space.

This came as a shock to many Americans who would commonly perceive the USSR as a dangerous but technologically backwards country compared to the USA.

In fact, the launch of Sputnik triggered a crisis of public confidence in the US.

For instance, "The New York Times" newspaper mentioned the satellite in 279 articles between October the 6th and October the 31st.

On the 3rd of November, 1957, the USSR launched a second satellite, Sputnik 2.

Many people in the US worried about the security implications of these Soviet successes.

The Central Intelligence Agency, otherwise known as the CIA, even warned the US government that the launching of these satellites does indicate that the USSR has perfected an ICBM, which they can put on any desired target with accuracy.

These fears were referred to as the missile gap.

So, thinking about what we've just heard, I want you to write the two missing words for the following sentence.

The blank was the first country to launch a satellite into Earth's orbit.

The satellite was called blank.

So, what are the two missing words? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the two missing words were USSR and Sputnik 1.

The USSR was the first country to launch a satellite into Earth's orbit.

The satellite was called Sputnik 1.

And let's try another question.

This time, we have a statement which reads, only the American public was worried by the launch of Sputnik 1 and 2.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So, two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that the American CIA warned that a missile gap was opening up between the superpowers.

And the second says that the Soviet KGB warned that a missile gap was opening up between the superpowers.

So, which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that A was correct.

The American CIA warned that a missile gap was opening up between the superpowers.

In fact, the Central Intelligence Agency went so far as to say that the two successful satellite launches by the USSR suggested that the Soviets must have perfected ICBM technologies and that they might be able to target nuclear bombs at any US city with accuracy.

In response to the public panic after the USSR satellite launches, investment into the US space programme increased significantly.

President Eisenhower created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, in the summer of 1958, which was given responsibility for overseeing space exploration in the USA.

This was also accompanied by an increase in science funding for schools and colleges across America as part of the National Defence Education Act.

By the end of 1958, both superpowers had conducted successful satellite launches.

Although the USSR was again the first to launch a satellite which orbited the sun in 1959, that same year, the US responded by launching the first satellite to orbit the moon.

Furthermore, in 1960, NASA successfully launched Discovery 14, the first satellite equipped with a spy camera, which helped to produce large amounts of photographic surveillance of the USSR for American military planners.

So, let's check our understanding of what we've just heard.

How did the Discovery 14 satellite help the US military? Was it that it was installed with a nuclear bomb to threaten the USSR, that it was installed with a camera to spy on the USSR, or that it was installed with listening devices to spy on the USSR? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was B, Discovery 14 was the first satellite launched into space equipped with a spy camera, and it allowed the USA to collect large amounts of photographic surveillance of the USSR.

So, we're now in a good position for all of our knowledge about the early years of the Space Race into practise.

I want you to explain why the US government significantly increased its investment in the American Space Programme after 1957.

You should try to include each of the following words in your answer.

Sputnik, missile gap, and NASA.

So, pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

So, I asked you to explain why the US government significantly increased its investment in the American space programme after 1957.

And your answer could have included, in October, 1957, the USSR successfully launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, into orbit around the Earth, shocking many Americans.

The launch undermined American confidence that US science and technology was superior to that of the Soviets'.

Secondly, the success of Soviet rocket technology also triggered fears that the USSR had developed much greater ability to threaten the USA with weapons like ICBMs. These fears were known as the missile gap.

As a result, there was a significant increase in US investment into their space programme to close the perceived gap between the superpowers.

This investment included the creation of NASA in 1958 to oversee space exploration and new funding for science education.

So, really well done if your own response look something like that model, especially if you managed to get all three of those keywords included.

And now, we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson, where we are going to think about the Space Race in the 1960s.

In the 1960s, the Space Race increasingly shifted to a focus on achieving manned space flights.

For most of the decade, this involved a race to the moon between the USA and the USSR.

In 1961, the USSR caught the US by surprise once again in the Space Race.

In April, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, meaning sailor of the universe, became the first man in space as he piloted a spacecraft which orbited the earth.

It took a further year for an American astronaut, John Glenn, to achieve the same feat.

Similarly, the Soviets also won the race to send a woman into space when Valentina Tereshkova successfully completed 48 orbits of the Earth in 1963.

By contrast, no American women would go into space until the 1980s.

So, let's check our understanding of what we've just heard.

What were the names of the first man and the first woman in space? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well then to everybody who said that the name of the first man in space was Yuri Gagarin, and the first woman in space was Valentina Tereshkova.

In both instances, it was a Soviet cosmonaut who became the first man and first woman to enter space.

At the beginning of 1961, John F.

Kennedy or JFK, became president of the USA.

In no small part, because of the high expenses involved, JFK had not been a strong supporter of plans to send us astronauts into space.

However, Yuri Gagarin's successful mission in April, 1961 led JFK to conclude that it was critical for the USA's international prestige and for public opinion in the US itself, for America to be seen to catch up with its Soviet rivals in the Space Race.

In May, 1961, Kennedy announced plans to land an American on the moon by the end of the decade.

It was believed the US still had a chance to beat their Soviet rivals in this mission as neither superpower yet had rockets powerful enough to reach the moon.

JFK emphasised the importance of this mission by stating that dramatic achievements in space would help influence other countries make a determination of which road they should take between capitalism and communism.

NASA's Apollo programme was dedicated to achieving the goal of landing a man on the moon.

Whilst the USSR had two of its own secret programmes to try and reach the moon first.

However, in July, 1969, American astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, became the first man on the moon after the success of the Apollo 11 mission.

By contrast, the USSR never managed to successfully conduct a moon landing.

For many Americans, Apollo 11's success in fulfilling JFK's aims to land men on the moon represented an end to the Space Race.

So, let's reflect on what we've just heard.

Why did President Kennedy's concerns about US prestige grow in 1961? Was it because the Soviets beat the USA at the Olympic Games? Because the Soviets beat the USA in a war over Berlin? Or because the Soviets beat the USA to put a man in space? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C, JFK's concerns about US prestige grew in 1961, because the Soviets beat the US to put a man in space.

This made Kennedy believe that something dramatic needed to be achieved in the Space Race to undo this loss.

And let's try another question.

What was the name of NASA's space programme designed to land a man on the moon? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that NASA's Apollo programme was designed to land a man on the moon.

And let's try one final question to make sure that our understanding is really secure.

We have a statement that says, many Americans saw the success of Apollo 11 as the end of the Space Race.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was true, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So, two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that the Soviets landed a man on the moon months later, but US interest had moved on.

And the second says that the Soviets were unable to match the US achievement of landing a man on the moon.

So, which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B, the Soviets were unable to match the US achievement of landing a man on the moon.

And so, many Americans saw the success of Apollo 11 in 1969 as the end of the Space Race.

So, we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the Space Race into practise.

I want you to write an account that analyses the key events of the Space Race from 1955 to 1969.

You should ensure that your account follows the correct chronology of events, makes it clear how events during the Space Race link together, and includes specific details.

So, pause the video here and press play when you're ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So, I ask you to write an account that analyses the key events of the Space Race from 1955 to 1969 and your answer may have included, the Space Race began in 1955 when both the US and USSR announced plans to launch a satellite into Earth's orbit.

Despite US confidence, it was actually the USSR that achieved this goal first when Sputnik 1 was launched successfully in October, 1957.

Alongside the launch of Sputnik 2 the following month, this triggered widespread concern in the USA and prompted a significant increase in the American space programme to try and catch up with the Soviets.

For this reason, NASA was founded in mid-1958 with responsibility for overseeing American space exploration.

Nevertheless, the USSR also beat the USA in sending the first man, Yugi Gagarin, in 1961 and first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, in 1963 into space.

The continued achievements of the USSR at the start of the 1960s prompted President Kennedy to promise in 1961 that the USA would land a man on the moon by the end of a decade.

JFK hoped that achieving this goal would help restore American prestige, which had been damaged by repeated Soviet successes in the Space Race up to that point.

In response to this plan, the Soviet Union launched two of their own space programmes in secret, which targeted the moon.

However, in July, 1969, it was the USA which won the race to the moon as both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from the Apollo 11 mission walked on the moon.

For many Americans, this success represented the end of the Space Race.

So, really well done if your own response look something like that model, which we've just seen.

And so, now, we've reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about the Space Race.

We've seen that the USA and USSR competed in the Space Race between 1955 and 1969.

Superpower competition in space was motivated by wanting to gain prestige for their ideologies and by security concerns.

Initial Soviet victories, such as the launch of Sputnik 1 and 2, triggered high levels of anxiety in the USA and led to increased investment on its own space programme.

And in 1969, the Space Race ended when the US landed men on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

So, really well done for all of the effort during today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you for our resources, and I look forward to seeing you again in future as we continue to think about the development of the Cold War in the 1950s and continue to ask ourselves, how peaceful was peaceful coexistence?.