> USSR economy was subpar. Subpar you say. I have a habit of giving the credit where it is due, whether it is the US, or USSR, or the Klingon kingdom – I simpl

> USSR economy was subpar. Subpar you say. I have a habit of giving the credit where it is due, whether it is the US, or USSR, or the Klingon kingdom – I simply could not care less who is the beneficiary of it. By the time the USSR launched the Sputnik, the US – whilst very much likely having a superior economic production output – had been significantly scientifically lagging behind the USSR due to the historically high anti-intellectual stance permeating throughout the US society (which still exists today) – the infamous «shoot the tall poppy» syndrome. The first man made Soviet satellite launch has caused a locomotion in the US of such proportions that the whole reason why DARPA and NASA have come into existence is solely because of that; it was the US response to the satellite launch. It has also spurred the National Defense Education Act which was enacted in 1958 with the sole purpose of catching up with the USSR and that has poured billions of dollars to revamp the US education system. The US did catch up and overtake, yes; however it is still an open question whether it was due to the neglect of lowly domestic needs within the Soviet realm or the rot therein that has followed regressive government policies.