Compare and contrast the Soviet and American space programs up to 1962 – the point that the US sent John Glenn into orbit and brought him home safely. Which statement is true?

By 1962, the USSR had reached several major milestones before the United States, including launching the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, and sending the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space. John Glenn’s successful 1962 orbital flight was a major American achievement, but it came after the Soviet Union had already sent people into orbit. So the USSR was generally one step ahead up to that point.

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