How did U.S. leaders respond to Sputnik's launch after Vanguard's failures?

• A. They gave the Navy extra funding to resolve technical problems.
• B. They deployed more bombers to bases.
• C. They turned to the Army's von Braun team, which launched Explorer I on January 31, 1958.
• D. They denied that they were in any space race.

Answer: (C)

When Sputnik showed the Soviets had a working satellite and the U.S. effort was faltering, American leadership leaned on its strongest rocket program: the Army’s team led by Wernher von Braun. This group had the experience and hardware to deliver a reliable launch vehicle, so they moved quickly to place a satellite into orbit using the Juno I launcher. Explorer I flew on January 31, 1958, marking the first successful American satellite and carrying a detector that revealed the Van Allen radiation belts. This response demonstrated that the United States could turn to its proven military-space team to regain momentum after Vanguard’s failures and kick off the American era in space exploration.