The Soviets were responsible for putting humans on the Moon, rovers on Mars, and launching the Hubble Space Telescope. Indeed, it was the enemies of the United States who pushed it to accomplish perhaps the greatest feats of the twentieth century. After the defeat of Germany and Japan in World War II, tensions between the former allies, the United States and the Soviet Union, began to grow. In the decades that followed, the two superpowers would clash in competitions and tremendous displays of nationalism. They formed unparalleled rivalries in politics, economics, science and sports. These rivalries would become evident when two countries competed in the Space Race, a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union over achievements in space exploration. The Soviets quickly took the lead by sending the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 sparked a sense of fear in the American public, resulting in the creation of NASA in the late 1950s, which opened the door to space exploration today and for future generations. After World War II, the Cold War created tensions between countries. The Soviet Union and the United States led to extreme national pride and competition, culminating in the space race that began with the launch of Sputnik 1. In World War II many new weapons were created to kill more people with greater efficiency. The most notable of these was the atomic bomb. As American troops approached Japan at the end of the war, they realized that conquering the small island nation would be nearly impossible. Japanese soldiers had demonstrated their willingness to die for their country when kamikaze pilots flew into American ships. As a result, President Truman approved the use of the… medium of paper… churr, Evan. "Neil deGrasse Tyson - We Stopped Dreaming (Episode 1)." Video clips online. Youtube. March 9, 2012. Web. February 16, 2014"Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)." International military and defense encyclopedia. Ed. Trevor N. Dupuy. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 1993. United States History in Context. Network. February 26, 2014."Sputnik." Explorers and discoverers of the world. Gale, 1993. United States History in Context. Network. 26 February 2014."The race to build a bomb." National Geographic 208.2 (2005): 102. Central Search Plus. Web. February 26, 2014. "Soviets Launch Sputnik 1: October 4, 1957." Global Events: Milestone events throughout history. Ed. Jennifer Stock. vol. 4: Europe. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2013. World History in Context. Network. February 12, 2014. Anyway, Mandy. "The Hunt for Water." Canberra Times 3 December 2012: 4. Newspaper Source Plus. Web.10 February. 2014