space race victor

People say that the US won the space race because they got to the moon. It's true that they did but the Soviets had the first object in space, the first life form in space, and the first man in space. By my count the score is 3-1 in favor of the Soviets.

iirc the whole race was to get to the moon. Or at least that is the prevailing attitude here in america (probably because that's where we actually won).

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iirc the whole race was to get to the moon. Or at least that is the prevailing attitude here in america (probably because that's where we actually won).

I've always wondered what it had proven anyway...
it's not like the Space Race had been a fight between socialism and capitalism. It was scientists relying (as far as I know, and that's not pretty far regarding this matter) heavily on the government's support on both sides.
We should declare men of science the winner of the Space Race, not a country or ideology.

It doesn't really matter as said in the above post. It was the people who made the technology available to enter space who are the victors. But if taken to a competition I'd say the Soviets won the space race. They had Sputnik, Laika and Yuri Gagarin way before the U.S. sent anything into space.

And don't forget the first space station

And records for the longest period of living in space (which still hold if I'm not mistaken).

Going to the Moon was pointless and little came from it that couldn't have been done with space probes. Practically speaking, the Soviets were right to give up their program. The only thing I regret was the propaganda millage the U.S. got out of it.

Both the U.S.S.R. and the Americans had their areas of specialisation. The Americans with better computing technology were able to build better space probes (the Voyager craft being an example). However, if you were interested in manned space flight, the Soviets were the people to talk to. Even today, the "International" space station wouldn't be in orbit without Russian space technology. Many Americans like to think of the station as their own, but in terms of the critical systems (life support, navigation etc) it is really a more modern version of Mir.

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Going to the Moon was pointless and little came from it that couldn't have been done with space probes.

In my opinion I thought that the U.S. sending a man to the moon was symbolic because it seemed like an impossible feat. I don't think it was done for scientific purposes.

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In my opinion I thought that the U.S. sending a man to the moon was symbolic because it seemed like an impossible feat. I don't think it was done for scientific purposes.

That's true. As far as the impossible feat goes. I remember reading somewhere that the capsules sent to the moon were barely space worthy. They certainly wouldn't be considered acceptable for use today.

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That's true. As far as the impossible feat goes. I remember reading somewhere that the capsules sent to the moon were barely space worthy. They certainly wouldn't be considered acceptable for use today.

I remember reading that the Apollo 11 astronauts, on the launchpad, considered that they had only a 50-50 chance of making it back alive.

And I believe the Eagle had only 20 seconds of fuel left when it landed on the Moon. It was a very close-run thing.

The idea of a space race victor is misleading. The space race is still ongoing, albeit in a more limited form. As for the competition between the US and USSR, I'd put them on a roughly equal level. Both had great achievements.

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The space race is still ongoing, albeit in a more limited form.

Between whom? The NASA and...

NASA and everyone else... or more specifically, Russia, China, India, the ESA etc.

I'm sorry, I'm not really well read in terms of space exploring but doesn't the NASA sort of have the monopoly on space travel?
Do the other nations work together regularly? I never got the impression that the other nations could achieve as much as the NASA, it has a much higher budget and better technology.

They don't work together, that's true, and I'm not saying they should form a bloc against America. My view is that space exploration should always be a joint venture between all the powers. This is probably the only way to ensure funding high enough to actually do major missions - like landing a man (or woman) on Mars.

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They had Sputnik, Laika and Yuri Gagarin way before the U.S. sent anything into space.

Germany sent the first thing into space way before anyone else (the German technology being later used as basis for other countries space programs among other things). The first thing sent into space was opening speech of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Assuming there is intelligent life out there, that will be the first communication to be intercepted by possible aliens, having traveled quite a bit longer than any other.

"Greetings. We have come to share our wisdom with Adolf Hitler and the great people of Germany".

If you ask me the soviets won the space race. It was called the SPACE race, not the moon race. The US won the moon race though but thats another story.
The USSR sent objects into space before the US even realized it was possible.

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The space race is still ongoing, albeit in a more limited form

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Between whom? The NASA and...

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NASA and everyone else... or more specifically, Russia, China, India, the ESA etc.

IMO, it's more like US Air Force Space Command vs. NASA, Russia, China, India, the ESA etc.
NASA does a lot of for-science-only projects, and sometimes cooperates with other countries. But Air Force Space Command has a different US-centric goal: military-based imperialism.
Noam Chomsky noted in August, 2001:
Clinton-era publications of the US Space Command describe control over space as a parallel to control over the oceans a century ago.
Later, Chomsky notes that w/former prez Bush, Space Command's mission expanded to the ownership of space. (source: MIT lecture: The Militarization of Science and Space)

Yes, I realize Russia and China also have military interests, tho' not nearly as hegemonic as those of the US.
Bottom line: The US is committed to full-spectrum dominance of the planet.

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And don't forget the first space station

Don't forget the first women.

I'm not sure if this is the same for anyone else, but I have the impression that for each race that the Americans lost, it was just "that one didn't count, but the next one will" until they won. The Soviets got many things first before the Americans won the first man on the moon.

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I have the impression that for each race that the Americans lost, it was just "that one didn't count, but the next one will"

That sounds like a typical American thing to say. Sounds rather stupid but I can see them saying it.