What event most clearly prompted the us government to pursue the space race
the successful launch of yuri gagarin into space by the soviet union
the soviet union’s surprising launch of sputnik into earth’s orbit
the promise by president kennedy to land a man on the moon
the us government’s increase in defense spending after world war ii
the sudden invasion of south korea by the north korean military

The Soviet Union’s surprising launch of Sputnik into Earth’s orbit

Explanation:

Sputnik 1, launched on October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union, was the first artificial satellite in history. Sputnik 1 was the first of several satellites launched by the Soviet Union in its Sputnik program, most of them successful. Sputnik 2 followed, as the second satellite in orbit. The first failure was suffered by Sputnik 3.

he armenian genocide, also known as the armenian holocaust, was the ottoman government's systematic extermination of 1.5 million armenians, mostly citizens within the ottoman empire.

explanation: