The influence of the Cold War on space exploration was profound and culminated in the gradual thawing of icy relationships and eventual collaboration between the two protagonists.The end of the Cold War was to lead to a new era of technological advances including the dream of two spacecraft actually docking in space. These huge new initiatives and accomplishments could not have happened without the ending of the Cold War between Russia and the U.S. Years of stony silence, secret testing and suspicion ended with broad smiles and self-congratulatory backslapping from some participants in both sides. Two space ships, one from each great nation had successfully docked
But others were not so sure and they may now feel vindicated by recent events in the ongoing saga of US/Russian relations. Superficial smiles at the experimental docking in 1975 with the Russian craft Soyuz, were not going to be enough to convince these people that America should let down her guard. They would never forget how naked, exposed and vulnerable America had felt at the news that the Russians had secretly developed the technology to fire weapons from space. Some critics would never forget the early betrayals despite the fact that America and Russia were co-operating again and relationships and joint enterprises were successful.
This success was a far cry from the early days of driven competition and lack of sharing of technological advances.
Back then President Kennedy made a surprisingly honest promise statement to his people, the citizens of America. In 1961 he declared
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project…will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important…and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish….” He actually achieved support for a project which he admitted would be horrendously expensive, right from the outset. Americans wanted to win. Despite their early co-operation with the Russians while fighting a common enemy in World War 11,Americans became suspicious as misunderstandings developed and the hopeful optimism shared by the two superpowers began to sour. A silent or cold war was beginning to set in.
Stalin had started to become angry that the western allies had waited too long to invade France, leaving the Russians to fight the entire German strength to the east alone and unsupported.. So he felt he had no choice but to go back on promises declared at Yalta and Potsdam, and refuse to leave the newly-freed countries of Eastern Europe. He continued to build a communist regime in the countries due to anxieties about further aggression from the Germans – these lands would offer a safety zone.As the so-called ‘eastern bloc’ as it came to be known took shape, Americans became angry and suspicious as they felt betrayed. This worsened as they saw the building blocks of the new satellite states of the Soviet Union being set up and the props of the communist governments being developed. Now, Americans wanted to win – and the Space Race gave them the opportunity. President Kennedy hit the moment right and caught the mood. Yet, the end of the Cold War would have just as profound effect on Space Exploration as the beginning.
But others were not so sure.
From the beginning, from that first moment of realisation that not only had Russia not let the grass grow under its feet in terms of scientific and military innovation, but now had the capability to launch the sputnik and fire intercontinental missiles to destinations thousands of miles distant, America realised this was a race they had to win. The shock woke the nation’s guardians from their supremacy reverie of post-war triumph and complacency, as they realised that they had not only to catch up with the Soviets, but overtake them and maintain the lead. There was too much at stake to even countenance failure. The word deterrence no longer applied. The world credibility of America’s military reputation was at stake.
The military supremacy to which America had become accustomed could be in jeopardy if the rest of the world lost faith in it. Credibility could be fatally damaged. There were other considerations, not least of them, the real threat to US security. Never before had America felt so vulnerable. Bases, ports and big cities would be defenceless from an attack that knew no borders a nuclear threat from space. There were political stakes too, no party could be seen to be responsible for such a dreadful lapse in safe-guarding the security of its people. The influence of the Cold War on space exploration was about to show itself in terms of scientific innovation.
Scientific research and military technological innovation needed to be prioritised. Acceleration, innovation and most of all, cash, were needed in order to up the anti in the space race. President Kennedy pledged the dollars, so that was the greenbacks taken care of, as he doubled the space budget. But there was something missing. They didn’t know it’s name back then, but what they were looking for was “spin.” An angle; a marketing idea that would chime with the nation’s people; an election winning vote catcher.- handle. This was going to be very expensive for the American people, so the government needed a way to encourage the people to “get with the program.”
Finally, they got there – a breakthrough idea. America would win out over the Soviets in an area they did so well journalism! The Soviets had deliberately chosen a low-key “softly-softly” approach, to put man and satellite into space, possibly to safeguard their secrets and possibly to retain that age-old military advantage – the shock effect of the psychological element of surprise. America knew that victory in the Race For Space was going to be expensive and so did the opposite. Victory could not be achieved without the financial and moral support of the voters. This support was to be achieved through fanfare headlines and that old standby – the good old human interest story.
President Kennedy and his team needed to get the people on board, and to be fair, this wasn’t that difficult as the ground was ready-prepared. Already nervous about the threat from communism and fresh from the news of the Sputnik launch, the people were receptive. So when in May 1961 the president announced with words of great import, that America would land a man on the Moon and bring him safely back, a public relations success was almost guaranteed. The effect of this statement cannot be over-emphasised, even from our new space and internet-savvy vantage point. This was to be no satellite or un-manned craft but a real human being from a real American family who would not just touch down in a spaceship and call it a landing, but who would actually physically walk on the surface of a heavenly body that was a visible and legendary presence in the life of every human being the Moon.
There was one awful possibility what if the Russians got there first? The American people did not want to see this happen they were engaged, locked-in to the program it was now THEIR race mission accomplished for now. The Russians had been prepared to take risks, some would say in desperation. The Americans too would need to match this in terms of daring strategies.
As the Cold War appeared to end, and its influence on space exploration to wane, America continued with its expensive program. Some folks seeing other expensive situations developing abroad, and services becoming impoverished at home, began to wonder whether the expense was now justified in the light of the perceived diminishing threat from the Soviets. Many right-minded decent voters were of the opinion that nations could now relate to each other in terms of peace and goodwill to all men. However, recent events and accusations that stretch right to top of Russia’s administration have suggested that this approach rather depends on who the guy is who is at the top?
Both the US and Russia shared a high ranking in the reserves of oil. In the future, we may glean no respite from a new leaderboard either, as both could be huge producers of bio-fuels as both are also great grain powerhouses. Both also now have populations that may put pressure on their governments to justify the expense of space-flight in terms of its carbon footprint. The docking of one spaceship from each great nation raised many new questions and possibilities regarding the co-operation of nations. These questions have fresh legs this year. Will human survival in global warming depend upon it one day, and will we be able to trust the other guy?
