How did the american space program look and feel as compared to the soviet space program?

I assume you mean after the soviets launched sputnik. I was in high school when that happened. It actually revolutionized what was important in schools. 

The immediate response was a balloon launched in response which went up quite a distance. It was a pretty frail response. Later on, the response was much better. A lot of money was poured into the space program very quickly and science was not a dirty word in American and Canadian schools.

Alloy of metals is the answer