ations as well.The impact of the Sputnik launches by the Soviet Union further shows their influence on US foreign policy. In addition to initiating the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Sputnik series of spacecraft also had alarming military implications. The intercontinental ballistic missiles that were used to launch the Sputnik satellites were also capable of traveling from the Soviet Union to military targets in less than an hour—much less than the several hours required for conventional bomber aircraft. President Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States reacted to the space race by signing the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Eisenhower also established the Advanced Research Projects Agency, a division of the U.S. Department of Defense. This caused a serious revision of the scientific and technological capabilities in America, and caused President Eisenhower to issue new funding for improving upon education in America in science and engineering. The quick Soviet lead in the space race did cause much panic, which shaped American policy both at home and abroad. Trying to downplay the significance of the Sputnik launches, the government vainly attempted to defame the Soviet feat. This new development in the Cold War caused the US to go further into a new rivalry with Russia, the space race....
