The Soviets were responsible for putting man on the Moon, rovers on Mars, and launching the Hubble Space Telescope. In fact, it was America's enemies who pushed the United States to accomplish perhaps the greatest feats of the 20th century. After the defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II, tensions between former allies the United States and the Soviet Union began to escalate. Over the next decades, the two superpowers would face off in competitions and formidable displays of nationalism. They formed incomparable rivalries in the political, economic, scientific and sporting fields. These rivalries would become evident when two countries faced off in the Space Race, a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding achievements in space exploration. The Soviets took the lead in launching the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 sparked a sense of fear in the American public, leading to the creation of NASA in the late 1950s, which opened the door to space exploration today and for generations future. After World War II, the Cold War created tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States that led to extreme national pride and competition, culminating in the space race which began with the launch of Sputnik 1. During World War II, many new weapons were created to kill more people more effectively. The most notable of these was the atomic bomb. As American troops closed in on Japan at the end of the war, they realized that it would be almost impossible to take the small island nation. Japanese soldiers had shown their willingness to die for their country when kamikaze pilots flew toward American ships. As a result, President Truman approved the use of...... middle of paper ......churr, Evan. “Neil deGrasse Tyson – We Stopped Dreaming (Episode 1).” Video clip online. Youtube. March 9, 2012. The web. February 16, 2014 “Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). » International military and defense encyclopedia. Ed. Trevor N. Dupuy. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 1993. USHistory in Context. Internet. February 26, 2014. “Sputnik.” Explorers and discoverers of the world. Gale, 1993. United States History in Context. Internet. February 26. 2014. “The Race to Build a Bomb.” » National Geographic 208.2 (2005): 102. Intermediate Search Plus. Web.February 26, 2014. “The Soviets Launch Sputnik 1: October 4, 1957.” World Events: Landmark Events Throughout History. Ed. Jennifer Stock. Flight. 4: Europe. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2013. World History in Context. Internet. February 12, 2014. Thoo, Mandy. “The water hunt.” Canberra Times December 3, 2012: 4. Newspaper Source Plus. Web.February 10. 2014