The theme of this years national history day project are ; encounters , exploration, and exchange.My team and I chose the topic of the Space Race because it is a big accomplishment that we still talk about today. I think that this goes with the exploration theme because no one before the US astronauts stepped foot on the moon. It also proves encounter because every trial and every aircraft was different and the results were different some of the launches didn't even make it out of the earth's atmosphere.Then it has exchange because the United States was in competition with a rival country, Russia who had a head start and were the first ones to leave the atmosphere into outer space.Russia was also the first to have a satellite orbit the earth in 1957.Although this victory didn't really mean anything it showed that the United States had a superior space program and the necessary resources and technology to be the best country. This event effected our history and everyday life because it advanced technology, and created a win over the totalitarian government of the USSR.