Document Analysis 1 NASA - "National Aeronautics and Space...

“National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958” Analysis
Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space Program . Ed.
John Logsdon, Washington D.C. NASA History Office, 1995. vol.1, 334-344.
During the Cold War, there was extreme tension and animosity between Russia and the
United States. The American public showed great nationalism after World War II and considered
America to be the one supreme power in the world. Nonetheless, Americans worried about an
upcoming war against Russia, the other world power. After the successful Russian launching of
Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 and Sputnik II on November 3, 1957 into space, American world
supremacy was brought to question. The American government and President Dwight
Eisenhower knew they had to reevaluate and strengthen its aeronautical and space programs to
counteract the publicity and fear that was created by Sputnik. On July 29, 1958, President
Eisenhower signed the “National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.”