Sputnik crisis
The U.S. soon had a number of successful satellites, including Explorer 1, [[Project SCORE]], and [[Courier 1B]]. However, public reaction to the [[Sputnik crisis]] spurred America to action in the Space Race, leading to the creation of both the [[Advanced Research Projects Agency]] (renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, in 1972), and [[NASA]] (through the [[National Aeronautics and Space Act]]), as well as increased U.S. government spending on scientific research and education through the [[National Defense Education Act]].