US National Archives
Docsteach: Landing a Man on the Moon: President Nixon and the Apollo Program
This activity chronicles the Space Race from President Kennedy's call to land on the Moon until Apollo 17 - the last lunar Mission, placing particular emphasis on President Nixon's role in the space program.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Apollo 11 Walking on the Moon
Check out this interactive website about the space race.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Kennedy's New Frontier
Read about John Kennedy's vision for America upon his becoming president. Find out about the space race with the Soviet Union, and expanded social programs for the poor and elderly in America.
A&E Television
History.com: Why the Air Force Almost Blasted the Moon With an H Bomb
Detonating a thermonuclear weapon on the moon? It sounds like the bizarre scheme of a deranged comic-book villain -- not a project initiated inside the U.S. government. But in 1958, as the Cold War space race was heating up, the U.S. Air...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Jfk's Race to Space Speech
A learning module that begins with "JFK's Race to Space Speech" by President John F. Kennedy, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: A Trip Through Space to Calculate Distance
Imagine two aliens racing across outer space to their moon. Who can we deem the fastest alien? With DIRT- or the equation Distance = Rate x Time- we can calculate their rates, using the distance they traveled and the time they took....
Arcademics
Arcademics: Space Jaunt
Multiplayer math game where alien spaceships race by rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10's place value.
NASA
Nasa: Salyut 4
Overview of the Salyut 4 space station mission and instrumentation. Has a great picture of the computer rendering of the space station.
Other
Lebensraum: Living Space for the German Race
Resource provides a discussion of the concept of "Lebensraum," or "living space" for the German people. This was one of Hitler's main justifications for his military conquests.
Other
Historic Wings: John Glenn Friendship 7
The story of America's first astronaut to orbit the earth during the Mercury Space program. After launching the program click on continue or on the numbers to learn about the story of the Mercury program and the first American to orbit...
Other
Flickr: Project Apollo Archive: Albums
Browse through over 200 albums of more than 13,000 photographs taken of all of the Apollo space journeys. This project provides a visual history of the space race.
The Newberry Library
The Newberry: Chicago Defined: Space and Place, Homes and Journeys
Learning module examines how writers and artists have portrayed the city of Chicago as well as the response to the city's changing population and character during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Primary sources and questions for...
Other
Soviet Space Photos: Photos of Voskhod 3
Actual photos of the Voskhod 3, viewable as larger versions upon clicking the thumbnail.
NASA
Nasa Star Child: Picture of Gagarin in Space Suit
A large picture with very brief description of Yuri Gagarin in his orange cosmonaut suit. Link to a printable version included.
NASA
Nasa: Sputniks 1, 2, and 3
NASA provides a paper that "deals with the politics, planning and technology of the period 1946-1958" in the Sputnik program.
NASA
Nasa: The International Geophysical Year
This site from NASA outlines the Sputnik program and the political underworkings that allowed it to reach fruition.
NASA
Nasa: "Pravda" Press Release
NASA provides the full text from the tersely worded "Pravda," the Russian national newspaper, that announced the successful launch of Sputnik.
University of Wisconsin
The Why Files: Sputnik's Legacy
This exploratory article (published September 11, 1997) outlines the history of the Sputnik Space program, but also includes the response within the United States educational system to speedily ramp up the study of science, math and...
History Link
History Link: Century 21: The Seattle World's Fair Part 1
Captivating site chronicles the history of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, also known as Century 21. This event gave Seattle it's most well-known landmark, the Space Needle. Discusses the uphill battle to get a World's Fair in Seattle...
NASA
Nasa: Pre and Post Sputnik Public Attitudes
This site from NASA provides a paper that describes the public's attitiude before and after the launch of the Sputnik satellite. Originally presented as part of the "U.S. President's Committee on Information Activities Abroad."
NASA
Nasa: Sputnik Pictures
NASA provides pictures of various Sputnik program satellites, including Sputnik 1. Also has pictures of key officials involved in the Sputnik program.
Curated OER
Npr: Sputnik at 50: Looking Back at the Space Race
The Soviets were surprised at the world's reaction to their accomplishment. Little did they know that they had thrust the world into the Space Age. NPR supplies historic facts, thoughts of people involved, and information on the impact...