UNITED STATESThe contrast between the U.S. and the Russian space programs has been likened to that between the hare and the
tortoise in Aesop's fable, and the comparison is apt. Whereas the Soviet program was characterized above as slow and steady, the Americans have approached activity in space in a series of sprints, often subsequently succumbing to retreat and lethargy after periods of great accomplishment.For almost ten years, U.S. plans for a manned space station kept changing as the purpose of the project was redefined. Finally, in 1993Ð94, the project crystallized into the International Space Station, which would include NASA's traditional space partners and the Russian space program as well. The project was thus brought into line with other U.S. diplomatic initiatives with post-Soviet Russia. After surviving in the Congress of the United States by a single vote in 1993, it soon gathered steam from a renewed powerful national commitment.As with the Soviet Union, U.S. achievements in interplanetary exploration are described in the entry on space exploration and in several individual articles. Launch FacilitiesThe United States operates two main space-launch facilities: Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The Cape Canaveral area contains several distinct facilities whose names have changed several times, which has led to frequent confusion. All of the original rocket pads for Atlas, Thor, and Titan rocketsÑand many others no longer in use, such as Saturn IÑare located on the long, sandy island named Cape Canaveral. North of this location is Merritt Island, where two large Saturn V pads were built and later converted for Space Shuttle use. This new area was called the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). It has been the location of all U.S. manned launchings since 1968.Vandenberg Air Force Base has been used for
launching satellites into polar orbit since 1959. The site was developed for this purpose because the local coastline curves eastward, affording a clear path directly southward over the ocean. Although most satellites launched into polar orbit are military, a number are also used for civil applications (such as Landsat and various weather satellites) and scientific research as well. A Shuttle launch capability also had been planned there, and a Titan III launching pad had been modified prior to the Challenger disaster. The plans were later canceled.There is also a small base at the Wallops Island facility, used primarily for launching sounding rockets. It occasionally has supported orbital launchings. A second, special Scout-launching facility, the Italian-operated San Marco platform off the coast of Kenya, has been used to launch several small scientific satellites into equatorial orbit.