4 ms·

explain how the soviet space program beat the us on every metric except moon landing (a vanity project hyped by the us to compensate for lagging)

voakbasda 3y ago
They beat us by canibalizing their society. It works for a time, but eventually you have a revolution on your hands.
deleted 3y ago
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gcanyon 3y ago
> every metric Sure, except: - First spacecraft to detect/study the Van Allen belt - First solar-powered satellite - First polar-orbit satellite - First photograph of Earth from orbit - First satellite recovered from orbit - First spy photos from space - First aerial recovery of an object returning from orbit - First great ape in space - First pilot-controlled space flight - First successful planetary flyby (Venus) - First spaceplane - First reusable piloted spacecraft - First geosynchronous satellite - First geostationary satellite - First piloted spacecraft orbit change - First successful Mars flyby mission - First rendezvous of manned spacecraft - First spacecraft docking - First direct-ascent (first orbit) rendezvous - First (and only) human orbit of the Moon - First (and only) humans to land on the Moon - First spacecraft to orbit another planet (Mars) - First spacecraft sent on solar escape trajectory - First spacecraft to enter the asteroid belt - First Jupiter flyby - First Mercury flyby - First Saturn flyby - First untethered spacewalk - First Uranus flyby - First Neptune flyby - First Pluto flyby So, yeah, vanity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Space_Race https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/o51254593.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_artificial_satellites_and_space_probes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_1
- tehjoker 3y ago
  Good points, the race does seem closer than I was aware.
dehrmann 3y ago
JFK really moved the goalpost on that one.
trynumber9 3y ago
What was the most useful application of early space launches? Corona observation satellites were operating since 1959. The TRANSIT positioning system was operating with a constellation of 5 satellites from 1960. Who was focused on vanity projects?

voakbasda 3y ago

They beat us by canibalizing their society. It works for a time, but eventually you have a revolution on your hands.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

gcanyon 3y ago

> every metric Sure, except: - First spacecraft to detect/study the Van Allen belt - First solar-powered satellite - First polar-orbit satellite - First photograph of Earth from orbit - First satellite recovered from orbit - First spy photos from space - First aerial recovery of an object returning from orbit - First great ape in space - First pilot-controlled space flight - First successful planetary flyby (Venus) - First spaceplane - First reusable piloted spacecraft - First geosynchronous satellite - First geostationary satellite - First piloted spacecraft orbit change - First successful Mars flyby mission - First rendezvous of manned spacecraft - First spacecraft docking - First direct-ascent (first orbit) rendezvous - First (and only) human orbit of the Moon - First (and only) humans to land on the Moon - First spacecraft to orbit another planet (Mars) - First spacecraft sent on solar escape trajectory - First spacecraft to enter the asteroid belt - First Jupiter flyby - First Mercury flyby - First Saturn flyby - First untethered spacewalk - First Uranus flyby - First Neptune flyby - First Pluto flyby So, yeah, vanity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Space_Race https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/o51254593.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_artificial_satellites_and_space_probes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_1

tehjoker 3y ago
Good points, the race does seem closer than I was aware.

dehrmann 3y ago

JFK really moved the goalpost on that one.

trynumber9 3y ago

What was the most useful application of early space launches? Corona observation satellites were operating since 1959. The TRANSIT positioning system was operating with a constellation of 5 satellites from 1960. Who was focused on vanity projects?