Why did the United States suffer a loss of confidence following the launch of Sputnik I?

The launch of Sputnik I in 1957 showed that the Soviet Union had reached space before the United States. Many Americans had expected the U.S. to lead in this area, so the Soviet success raised fears that the USSR was ahead technologically and caused a loss of confidence. The correct choice is “The United States assumed that they would be first into space, before the Soviets.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.