The Russians started the Space Race by launching Sputnik the first satellite, which then provoked fear in the Americans to begin development of their own satellites.
1957
The Soviet Union was the first to achieve significant milestones in the space race, including launching the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957, and sending the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space in 1961.
Because it was a "race" between the USSR and the US to reach space milestones first.
The United States of America was first in the "Space Race" which was a race to see which country would be first to land on the moon.
The first artificial satellite into space was named sputnik and was launched by the USSR. The term "Space Race" actually applies to the race to the moon which was won by the US when the Apollo spacecraft touched down in 1969.
The space race took place in the mid 60,s, and was the race to be the first to get to the moon, between Russia, and the United States.
The space race was a competition between space agencies (historically those of the USA and the USSR) to be the first to accomplish a particular goal: the first to send a man in orbit around the earth, or the first to send a man to the moon.
The United States and the Soviet Union were the main competitors in the space race. Both countries were in a race to achieve milestones in space exploration, such as the first human in space and the first manned moon landing.
The Space Race was a technology race in the 1950s and 1960s between the USA and the USSR to outdo the other in space-related advances. The most dramatic result of this was the first moon landing, in 1969, which effectively ended the race.
The space race was won by the United States when NASA successfully landed astronauts on the Moon as part of the Apollo missions in 1969. This achievement marked the end of the space race with the Soviet Union.
First race was in 1948. First season was 1949.