Page 1 of 8 

In the early 1950s, an international body of scientists established 1957 as the International Geophysical Year (IGY). A special committee convened in Rome of 1954 and proposed launching satellites into orbit around the earth to celebrate this event. The United States and the Soviet Union pledged to make the attempt. Throughout this period work continued on the development of rocket technology. While the phrase "space race" had not been coined, both the Soviet Union and the United States embarked on a research initiative that resulted in space flight. The scientific and engineering challenges associated with this endeavor combined with the geopolitics of the Cold War.