The Race to Space: Effects on American Communications Culture

Abstract

The launch of the first artificial satellite in 1957 began one of the most memorable competitions in recent history, the space race. Though many technologies would develop from the space race, the one that started it all was the perhaps the most influential in shaping not only American culture, but the world. From the first data transmitted from space via Sputnik’s radios to the first live trans-Atlantic television broadcast via the Telstar I, satellites have been the major stepping stones in the advancement of communications technology. These early satellites laid the foundation upon which modern communications were built, and had an enduring effect on American culture, connecting Americans not only with one another, but the rest of the world.