The launching of Sputnik, the first ever artificial satellite, by the Soviet Union was particularly significant for the United States since due to this event the United States concentrated its efforts into developing rockets. In the early 1950s, the U.S. was considered to be an unmatched world power. However, with the launching of the Sputnik, it gave the impression that the Soviet Union was more advanced especially in science and technology. Thus, the U.S. then invested much money into developing more and better rockets.
