Public Paranoia, Soviet Fears, and America’s Drive in the Space Race
3:04
Grades: 6 - 12
Video Description: New November 2022! Engineers with the Mercury and Gemini programs recall the fears Americans had in being behind the Soviets in the space race and how that could impact their lives.
Type of Video: Segment*
Unique Video ID: Space-40**
Quick Ideas for Using the Video:
- As part of your study of the Cold War, use the video as a conversation starter to help students understand the fear Americans had of the Soviet Union. Can they think of similar situations today? How can fear of the “other” shape policy decisions governments make?
- To learn more about the space race, check out the full program this segment is edited from: History in the First Person: The Gemini Project. (Unique ID: Space-9)
*Segment videos are short excerpts edited from interviews or interactive programs that offer flexible and differentiated ways to use the rich content included in the full-length conversation.
**The unique Video ID can be used to quickly locate a single video in the ET collection. This search function is designed to let teachers assign students to watch a specific video and have only that video appear as a search result. Just click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Then type in the Video ID as it appears above. Be sure to include the dash.
