Werner Heisenberg. Additionally, in 1943 the British had destroyed the Norsk
Hydro plants in Norway during a secret operation. The Norwegian company had
been producing for the Germans so-called heavy water – a molecule where the
Hydrogen atom is replaced by its isotope, Deuterium. Heavy water was the only
element capable of slowing down neutrons enough during the chain reaction that,
through nuclear fission, produced the Plutonium necessary for an atomic blast.
The US dropped the first two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki from the B-29 bombers. Soon, the nation realized that a new, more
powerful artillery system would be needed to reach any point on the planet, so it
recruited the gunners of the future: Werner von Braun’s rocket team.
In 1964, Stanley Kubrick directed his famous movie Dr. Strangelove, where a
squadron of B-52 atomic bombers is diverted into Soviet territory by a general
gone mad. The squadron is decimated by the Russians’ missile countermeasures,
but one last plane arrives at its final destination over Moscow and drops the bomb,
causing a nuclear counterattack that devastates the whole planet with a flourish of
deadly atomic blasts.
At that time, reality was not far from fiction.
In 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower gave top priority to the development of
ballistic missiles. The Pentagon, which had European and Turkish bases close to
Russia, focused on developing the first the IRBM (Intermediate-Range Ballistic
Missiles), with a range of 3,000 km. Only later, the US decided to start the development of the more complex and heavier InterContinental Ballistic Missiles
(ICBM’s), with a range of 14,000 km. With the addition of an extra upper stage,
the latter could have reached a stable orbit. However, the decision to split the
development of ICBM’s from orbital launchers was most likely the strategic mistake that paved the way for the Sputnik success.
4
Since the Soviet Union did not have bases close to the US, the Russian engineers were forced to design missiles capable of reaching any place from Russian
soil. Thus, pragmatically they did not differentiate between ICBM’s and space
rockets. Sergei Korolev,
5
Chief Designer of the Russian space program, built the
R-7 launcher (R stands for Raketa, which means rocket), adding an upper stage to
the ballistic missiles that were supposed to carry the atomic bombs.
The birth of space exploration happened in a harsh geopolitical scenario where
the confrontation between the two superpowers risked nuclear conflict several
times. Both nations affirmed publicity that the Space Race was a challenge for the
science and progress of humankind, but in reality, it was a quest for global
dominance.
4
Medaris, John. 1960. Countdown for Decision. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
5
Harford, James. 1997. Korolev. New York: Wiley & Sons.
The Space Race: Moondust 15
Hydro plants in Norway during a secret operation. The Norwegian company had
been producing for the Germans so-called heavy water – a molecule where the
Hydrogen atom is replaced by its isotope, Deuterium. Heavy water was the only
element capable of slowing down neutrons enough during the chain reaction that,
through nuclear fission, produced the Plutonium necessary for an atomic blast.
The US dropped the first two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki from the B-29 bombers. Soon, the nation realized that a new, more
powerful artillery system would be needed to reach any point on the planet, so it
recruited the gunners of the future: Werner von Braun’s rocket team.
In 1964, Stanley Kubrick directed his famous movie Dr. Strangelove, where a
squadron of B-52 atomic bombers is diverted into Soviet territory by a general
gone mad. The squadron is decimated by the Russians’ missile countermeasures,
but one last plane arrives at its final destination over Moscow and drops the bomb,
causing a nuclear counterattack that devastates the whole planet with a flourish of
deadly atomic blasts.
At that time, reality was not far from fiction.
In 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower gave top priority to the development of
ballistic missiles. The Pentagon, which had European and Turkish bases close to
Russia, focused on developing the first the IRBM (Intermediate-Range Ballistic
Missiles), with a range of 3,000 km. Only later, the US decided to start the development of the more complex and heavier InterContinental Ballistic Missiles
(ICBM’s), with a range of 14,000 km. With the addition of an extra upper stage,
the latter could have reached a stable orbit. However, the decision to split the
development of ICBM’s from orbital launchers was most likely the strategic mistake that paved the way for the Sputnik success.
4
Since the Soviet Union did not have bases close to the US, the Russian engineers were forced to design missiles capable of reaching any place from Russian
soil. Thus, pragmatically they did not differentiate between ICBM’s and space
rockets. Sergei Korolev,
5
Chief Designer of the Russian space program, built the
R-7 launcher (R stands for Raketa, which means rocket), adding an upper stage to
the ballistic missiles that were supposed to carry the atomic bombs.
The birth of space exploration happened in a harsh geopolitical scenario where
the confrontation between the two superpowers risked nuclear conflict several
times. Both nations affirmed publicity that the Space Race was a challenge for the
science and progress of humankind, but in reality, it was a quest for global
dominance.
4
Medaris, John. 1960. Countdown for Decision. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
5
Harford, James. 1997. Korolev. New York: Wiley & Sons.
The Space Race: Moondust 15