--- title: 'Space race propaganda: Sputnik cartoons and US space posters, 1957 to 1969' url: https://propagandaarchive.org/space-race-propaganda/ description: 'Space race propaganda in the archive: Sputnik-era cartoons, US Information Agency moon, Mars and Gemini posters and Apollo 11, with sources shown.' section: FRAME --- ![Illustration: a dossier collage of an evidence wall of pinned propaganda posters, leaflets and printed matter from many eras, with contact sheets and catalog labels.](https://propagandaarchive.org/static/generated/hero-collection.jpg) Collection # Space race propaganda: Sputnik cartoons and US space posters, 1957 to 1969 Space race propaganda in the archive: Sputnik-era cartoons, US Information Agency moon, Mars and Gemini posters and Apollo 11, with sources shown. 1. [Home](https://propagandaarchive.org/) 2. [Collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/) 3. Space race propaganda [![Anybody Working](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/berryman-anybody-working-1957-640.jpg)Anybody Working](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/berryman-anybody-working-1957/) [![Wall News poster No. 55, Explorer satellite (Farsi, distributed in Tehran)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/wall-news-poster-55-explorer-satellite-farsi-1958-640.jpg)Wall News poster No. 55, Explorer satellite (Farsi, distributed in Tehran)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/wall-news-poster-55-explorer-satellite-farsi-1958/) [![Survival in Space poster, English edition (English poster distributed in Asia)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/survival-in-space-english-asia-1958-640.jpg)Survival in Space poster, English edition (English poster distributed in Asia)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/survival-in-space-english-asia-1958/) [![Moon Close-Ups from Ranger poster, Bangkok (English)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/moon-close-ups-from-us-ranger-poster-bangkok-english-1964-640.jpg)Moon Close-Ups from Ranger poster, Bangkok (English)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/moon-close-ups-from-us-ranger-poster-bangkok-english-1964/) [![The Spacemobile space science poster (English, distributed at multiple posts)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/the-spacemobile-english-multiple-posts-1965-640.jpg)The Spacemobile space science poster (English, distributed at multiple posts)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/the-spacemobile-english-multiple-posts-1965/) [![Return Trip to Earth](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/return-trip-to-earth-apollo-11-1969-640.jpg)Return Trip to Earth](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/return-trip-to-earth-apollo-11-1969/) [What was space race propaganda?](https://propagandaarchive.org/space-race-propaganda/#what-was-space-race-propaganda) [Cartoons after Sputnik, 1957 to 1963](https://propagandaarchive.org/space-race-propaganda/#cartoons-after-sputnik-1957-to-1963) [US government posters, 1958 to 1965](https://propagandaarchive.org/space-race-propaganda/#us-government-posters-1958-to-1965) [Apollo, 1969](https://propagandaarchive.org/space-race-propaganda/#apollo-1969) [Both sides](https://propagandaarchive.org/space-race-propaganda/#both-sides-what-the-record-supports) [What the collection does not hold](https://propagandaarchive.org/space-race-propaganda/#what-the-collection-does-not-hold) ## What was space race propaganda? Space race propaganda is the posters, photo sheets and cartoons that used rocket launches, satellites and astronauts to claim scientific and political standing during the Cold War. It began with Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957. This collection holds US material only; no Soviet items are hosted yet. ![Cartoon, 1957: Uncle Sam sweating at a radio as Beep-Beep and Bow-Wow sound in his headphones](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/it-shouldnt-happen-to-a-dog-berryman-1957.jpg) ## Cartoons after Sputnik, 1957 to 1963 Jim Berryman of the Washington Evening Star drew the American reaction. "Anybody Working" (6 October 1957) shows a telescope turned on streaking objects in the sky. "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog!" (5 November 1957) shows Uncle Sam rattled by signals; the archive notes that a link to Sputnik 2 and its dog Laika is an inference from the date. It is tagged [Fear appeal](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/fear-appeal/). A July 1958 cartoon ridicules named Soviet leaders over a US launch ([Name-calling](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/name-calling/)), and "Whew!" lists who was first at what ([Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/)). These are editorials by one American cartoonist, not state output. ## US government posters, 1958 to 1965 ![Poster, 1958: Survival in Space, a photo spread on US research into human survival in space](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/survival-in-space-english-asia-1958.jpg) The United States Information Agency issued photo posters in many languages for display abroad. They cover the Explorer satellite (1958), "The Space Age" (1959), Ranger 7 moon pictures (1964), Mariner 4 and Mars (1965), and Gemini 3 and Edward White's spacewalk (1965). The usual tags are [Transfer](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/transfer/), where the prestige of science is attached to the sponsor, and [Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/), where the successes are listed. A Farsi sheet quotes Vice President Nixon ([Testimonial](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/testimonial/)). ![Poster, 1965: U.S. Astronaut Walks in Space, a fold-out sheet on the Gemini-4 spacewalk](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/us-astronaut-walks-in-space-poster-65-360-english-beirut-1965.jpg) ## Apollo, 1969 ![Poster, 1969: Return Trip to Earth, a Vietnamese-language Apollo 11 photo sheet](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/return-trip-to-earth-apollo-11-1969.jpg) A Vietnamese-language fold-out on Apollo 11, credited in the National Archives series to the US mission in Saigon, shows how the same achievement was carried into a different war. ## Both sides: what the record supports Both governments used spaceflight to claim leadership. The holdings here show only the American side, so they cannot show how the Soviet side compares in scale or method. The US posters were also reproduced in several languages for distribution through US posts abroad. ## What the collection does not hold - **Not here:** Soviet space posters, Sputnik and Gagarin material, stamps, leaflets and cartoons. - **Not here:** Apollo-era posters issued in the United States for domestic audiences. - **Not here:** Soviet-bloc press coverage of American launches. Sources and further reading ## Sources U.S. National Archives, Record Group 306 (Propaganda Posters Distributed in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East) and the Jim… U.S. National Archives, Record Group 306 (Propaganda Posters Distributed in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East) and the Jim Berryman Political Cartoons, Records of the U.S. Senate. Each item in the grid carries its own source and rights note. ## Space race items in the collection Showing 17 of 17 objects. [Filter the whole collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/). - [Anybody Working](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/berryman-anybody-working-1957/) (United States · Oct 6, 1957 · Fear appeal) - [It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog!](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/it-shouldnt-happen-to-a-dog-berryman-1957/) (United States · Nov 5, 1957 · Fear appeal) - [They'd better not be planning on a Saint-nik!](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/berryman-theyd-better-not-be-planning-on-a-saint-nik-1957/) (United States · Nov 10, 1957 · Transfer) - [Wall News poster No. 55, Explorer satellite (Farsi, distributed in Tehran)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/wall-news-poster-55-explorer-satellite-farsi-1958/) (United States · Feb 27, 1958 · Testimonial, Transfer, Glittering generalities) - [Are we mice or men? ("Rest Camp" for Ex-Soviet-Big-Shots)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/are-we-mice-or-men-berryman-1958/) (United States · Jul 11, 1958 · Name-calling) - [Whew!](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/berryman-whew-1958/) (United States · Oct 12, 1958 · Card stacking) - [Survival in Space poster, English edition (English poster distributed in Asia)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/survival-in-space-english-asia-1958/) (United States · Oct 30, 1958 · Transfer) - [Pictorial Review poster, No. 8: The Space Age (Amharic-English, Addis Ababa)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/pictorial-review-ii-8-space-age-amharic-ethiopia-1959/) (United States · Jun 17, 1959 · Card stacking, Glittering generalities) - [...But Captain, Your Capsule Awaits!](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/berryman-but-captain-your-capsule-awaits-1963/) (United States · Sep 30, 1963 · Card stacking) - [Moon Close-Ups from Ranger poster, Bangkok (English)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/moon-close-ups-from-us-ranger-poster-bangkok-english-1964/) (United States · Sep 8, 1964 · Card stacking, Glittering generalities) - [Ranger 7 moon pictures poster (Arabic, Beirut)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/ranger-7-moon-pictures-poster-arabic-beirut-1964/) (United States · Sep 24, 1964 · Glittering generalities, Transfer) - [Gemini wall poster, The News in Pictures (English poster distributed in Addis Ababa)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/gemini-wall-poster-news-in-pictures-english-1965/) (United States · Jan 1, 1965 · Transfer) - [The Spacemobile space science poster (English, distributed at multiple posts)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/the-spacemobile-english-multiple-posts-1965/) (United States · Feb 26, 1965 · Transfer) - [Los Vuelos Geminis space poster (Spanish photo sheet distributed in Buenos Aires and Caracas)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/los-vuelos-geminis-poster-buenos-aires-caracas-1965/) (United States · Mar 9, 1965 · Transfer) - [Voyage to Mars poster, English edition (English poster distributed in Beirut)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/voyage-to-mars-poster-english-1965/) (United States · Jun 20, 1965 · Card stacking, Glittering generalities) - [U.S. Astronaut Walks in Space poster, 65-360 (English poster distributed in Beirut)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/us-astronaut-walks-in-space-poster-65-360-english-beirut-1965/) (United States · Jul 30, 1965 · Testimonial, Card stacking) - [Return Trip to Earth](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/return-trip-to-earth-apollo-11-1969/) (United States · 1969 · Transfer) ## Related guides and pages - [American propaganda posters: US examples by technique](https://propagandaarchive.org/american-propaganda-posters/) - [Uncle Sam posters: the I Want You poster and what else he was used for](https://propagandaarchive.org/american-propaganda-posters/uncle-sam-poster/) - [Women's suffrage posters and cartoons, 1880 to 1923](https://propagandaarchive.org/womens-suffrage-posters/) - [WPA posters: New Deal and wartime posters, 1936 to 1943](https://propagandaarchive.org/wpa-posters/) - [Civil War propaganda: 1860 and 1864 election prints](https://propagandaarchive.org/civil-war-propaganda/) - [Presidential campaign posters: US banners and prints, 1840 to 1900](https://propagandaarchive.org/presidential-campaign-posters/) - [Spanish-American War propaganda: yellow press, Maine and cartoons](https://propagandaarchive.org/spanish-american-war-propaganda/) - [Victory garden posters: WWI war gardens, WWII victory gardens, Dig for Victory](https://propagandaarchive.org/victory-garden-posters/) - [Red Cross posters: WW1 and WW2 fundraising, nursing and blood donor appeals](https://propagandaarchive.org/red-cross-posters/) - [Christmas propaganda posters: war bonds, Santa and mail-early appeals](https://propagandaarchive.org/christmas-propaganda-posters/) - [All guides](https://propagandaarchive.org/guides/)