Ace in the hole: Malmstrom's Minuteman missile program put Montana on firing line
The launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Soviet Union on Oct. 4, 1957, shocked Americans and triggered a debate over the 'missile gap,' a perceiv...
The launch of the Sputnik satellite by the Soviet Union on Oct. 4, 1957, shocked Americans and triggered a debate over the 'missile gap,' a perceived Soviet superiority. One month later, the Soviets launched Sputnik 2 with dog Laika aboard. Shortly after, a special committee reported to President Dwight Eisenhower that the US was falling far behind the Soviets in missile capabilities. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev chimed in claiming that the Soviet Union had missile superiority and challenging America to a missile "shooting match" to prove his assertion.