What would life be like now if the Russians had won the Space Race?What would change?What would stay the same?

Question

Be creative when answering. Use your imagination as to what could or couldn't happen if the Soviet Union really had won the Space Age/Race. Even if you think that nothing would change, if something did change, what would it be and why?!?! Just please be realistic when answering! =)

***i really need this answered for school!!!!***

Answer 1

Well, I'm not sure what you're implying, but the Russians DID win the space race (first man in space, first satellite, first dog...etc). They only did not make it to the moon first.

However, if you're asking about what would change if the Russians had reached the moon first, my answer would be...probably nothing.

Reaching the moon served to show that America was at the forefront of missile technology, but it did not prove that Russian missile technology would not be up to the task of launching a giant missile straight at the US either. If the shoe was on the other foot the situation would pretty much be the same.

Russia would be the first on the moon and the US would still have the capability to attack Russia with its missiles. The cold war would still have occurred, the mess in Vietnam would still have happened and politically, little would have changed.

Social change would be a harder element to second guess, but I'm willing to bet that little would change on that front either.

I honestly don't think much would have changed if the Russians reached the moon first. We'd only have different names on who reached where first, but that'd probably be it. We most certainly would not be speaking Russian or anything like that.

Now, if you asked "what if the Germans had invented the nuclear bomb?" then we'd have a whole different slew of questions and possibilities.

I hope that helps.

Answer 2

It's hard to understand 40 years later. In the late 60's, we were genuinely concerned about the USSR being more powerful than us--or even being perceive that way. They beat us into space twice--first satellite, and first manned space flight. Getting to the moon demonstrated that we were first in what really counts. Part of it too was fulfilling Pres. Kennedy's mandate to go to the moon. He was more admired in death than he was in life. Which is why we have the "Kennedy Space Center." Also, we learned a lot from those missions. Much of the real science work done today would not be possible without the research into the effects of spaceflight on humans that we obtained from the Apollo missions.

Answer 3

I kind of agree with the "nothing different" arguments.
But, let us remember that Italy was on the tipping point of going totally Communist and that there was a huge wave of anti-American sentiment throughout Europe (esp. France) because of Viet Nam.
Subtract the goodwill and admiration for the USA due to the moon landing, move it over to the Soviet Union and the contrast of HER landing on the moon and the USA mired in Viet Nam makes us look pretty bad. Mainland Europe could have gone Communist with West Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Finland, and Norway being the most possible and notable exceptions.
This would surely increase revolutionary fervor in Third World countries. I doubt we could have fought general revolution in Latin America, let alone South America and Africa, too.
Well, we lost the Viet Nam War and the domino effect didn't happen, so maybe there would have been no difference.

Answer 4

I'm with Campbell - I think USA would have kept pushing to whatever the next big goal would have been - likely Mars. I doubt we would have made it with the technology available back then. But then again, maybe technology would have continued to improve at the rates that it did in the 60s and we'd be further along in that aspect.

All in all, I think the Cold War would have come out the same way, maybe it might have even ended sooner. Regan basically called out communism by spending and spending. It became a contest of who can do the most - capitalism or communism, and it broke the USSR. Then the wall came down in Berlin.

I think space technology might be further along, but I think the big picture would be more or less the same.

Answer 5

Technically they did win the space race, they had launched the first satellite and manned space flight...Though not successfully. They still had humans in space first. Even animals.

Answer 6

why would there be change in life-style if russians win the space race? nothing would change. everything would stay the same.

Answer 7

I think we would be on Mars by now because the U.S. would not have accepted defeat so easily and would have kept trying to one up the Russians until they succeeded.

Answer 8

All the conspiracy nuts would still be saying the moon landings were faked.

Answer 9

U both r at the same level. I'm not yet sure whether Neil had really landed on moon

Answer 10

perhaps they have already won the race...