Answer:
During the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union engaged a competition to see who had the best technology in space. The Space Race was considered important because it showed the world which country had the best science, technology, and economic system. The Soviets entered the space race with the launch of Sputnik. With a single shot, the Soviet Union not only launched the first artificial satellite but also officially inaugurated a "space race" with the United States. Sputnik – sometimes called Sputnik 1 – went into space on Oct. 4, 1957.
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