History Commons^™

Moon Rocks And Mediations: Cooperation And Competition In Space Race Diplomacy, Christopher S. Dinkel

Master's Theses

While the Space Race is often discussed in terms of international competition and Cold War tension, the fact that both Soviet and American forays into space remained peaceful and scientifically driven throughout the 1950s and 1960s points to a more complicated reality that indicates a significant amount of international cooperation during the Space Race. The International Geophysical Year (IGY), which was a collaborative effort among scientists from around the world, served as a catalyst for beginning the Space Race in the late 1950s, and the importance of scientific cooperation emphasized by the IGY remained central to space exploration throughout the …