Film Lesson- The Right Stuff

During the cold war, Russia and the United States had been competing over different tactical advantages in case another war broke out. These included the arms race, and when Russia launched the first satellite called sputnik in October 4,1957, the space race began. The United States feared that Russia can use the satellite to attack, and wanted to catch up with their technology. NASA was formed to help the United States reach space.

The film "The Right Stuff" showed the United States attempt to out-do the Russians during the space race. It began with the US finally breaking the sound barrier after many failed attempts, but keeping it a secret so the Russians would not know. The US wanted to send a man in space before the Russians would.They decided to find men who had "the right stuff" who where capable of surviving in space. Eventually they found 7 American men who where right for the job. But after many failed attempts of getting the rockets of the ground, they became worried and decided to send a monkey in space. The Russians saw this is a weakness and sent a man in space, angering the US even more. On July 20, 1969, the first man landed on the moon, and he was American, ending the space race.