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→Eisenhower administration ratcheted up spending on missile technology
====Eisenhower administration ratcheted up spending on missile technology====
[[File:Explorerlaunch.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px| The Explorer 1 launch on Jan. 31, 1958]]
Although President Dwight Eisenhower had tried to downplay the importance of the Sputnik launch to the American people, he poured additional funds and resources into the space program in an effort to catch up. The U.S. Government suffered a severe setback in December of 1957 when its first artificial satellite, named Vanguard, exploded on the launch pad. This failure reminded Americans that the country had struggled to rockets that could reach lower earth orbit. It also raised fears that the US could not compete militarily with the Soviets.
On January 31, 1958, the United States finally succeeded in launching its first satellite, the Explorer. While Explorer was still smaller than Sputnik, it was successfully launch sent it deeper into space. Unsurprisingly, the Soviets wuickly quickly responded with yet another launch, and the space race continuedescalated.
====Conclusion====
