1969 Moon Landing: A Giant Leap For Mankind

But in July of 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon before live audiences around the world. As he stepped out on this extraterrestrial surface, he stated the now famous words, “That was one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But why was Kennedy so adamant about sending men to the moon? What significance could such a feat serve in our lives? Of course, we lived in a different time then. Many believed our effort to send a man to the moon was just an attempt to display the philosophical superiority of capitalism over communism during the height of the Cold War.

Even though it happened in 1969, the first moon landing had a lasting effect on the world. Apollo 11 represented the culmination of decades of hard work for NASA. John F. Kennedy's dream of putting a person on the moon seemed foolish to many, but it remains one of the highest achievements of human work and ingenuity. The Space Race began in 1955 when both countries announced that they would soon be launching satellites into orbit. On October 4, 1957 the Russians placed the first successful satellite into orbit and it was called Sputnik I.

When you were a kid did you dream of being an astronaut? Did you what to go to the moon? Like many people this dream was a goal in this research paper I will prove that this dream became a reality to be the best at ones goals and see them through. President Kennedy showed us all he was a hero by getting America to support the American space program, and get three heroes on the moon. On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite and caught America and the whole world off guard.

The Soviets took the US announcement as a challenge and established a group whose goal was to beat the US in putting a satellite into orbit. Even though the United States started the competition the Soviets still won because they launched the first successful satellite into orbit, put a dog into outer space and also put the first man into outer space. Some might say that the United States won because they put the first man on the moon, which was a huge feat made by the Americans. So for winning many missions against the U.S. the Soviets won the Space Race. The Soviets took a lead by launching the first successful satellite into space.

The moon landing stood for a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown. To win the Space Race we had to be the first to land a man on the moon and for that moment in the tumultuous 60’s, our country came together in celebration and pride. The citizens of the U.S made the journey possible; through their contributions to the space effort, or even if they just supported the effort they were helping the cause. John F. Kennedy requested, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” We responded, we prevailed, we triumphed.

After a lot of failed attempts and a decade of research, the United States finally got a man on the moon. This eight-day project changed history and the knowledge about space forever. The moon landing distracted many Americans from the terrible events that occurred in 1968. This event still proves America’s achievement and power to this day and is leading to other space explorations in the future.

Ranger 7 marked a turning point in America's exploration of space. Af... ... middle of paper ... ...tes and the Soviet Union to see who could make the furthest development into space first. Creating NASA that lead to build new technologies during the Space Race, was proved because it helped U.S protect itself and today it still affect us in being able to accomplish our dreams. From President Kennedy’s contribution to the program to building Ranger Missions and Rockets Programs made America one of the most powerful and advanced country in the world. The Space Race not just only created shuttles, it created things we used now on daily basis like water purification, chemical detection, solar cells, and many more.

In the late 1960’s and 1970’s NASA was still running off of their glory from winning the space race against the Soviet Union by putting a man on the Moon. A manned mission to Mars or a journey to the many Moons of Saturn seemed right around the corner. Project Orion, for example, was a space project that had planned for a nuclear bomb powered rocket to take men and supplies to the far away Saturn Moon of Orion. “It would have been enormously risky,” says Freeman Dyson (Folger), who was one of the astronauts which volunteered to go on the Project Orion rocket. Any person in the capsule would be subject to large amounts of radiation.

The United States was obsessed with space technology flexing its muscles at acquiring more arsenals albeit to expand supremacy. The world watched as the two super powers rivaled each other. Russia had won the lunar battle but the race was far from over (Reeves 42). America was furious and started a propaganda that since the USSR had the capability of propelling a satellite into space no telling they could do severe harm to the United States by sending nuclear weapons from space and ... ... middle of paper ... ...?NASA’s advancements in technology continues to generate billions of dollars, provide employment to numerous people and most importantly ,save lives. Today we see more and more young people taking up careers and jobs in the field of science.

​The first lunar landing proved that this world is more capable than anyone ever thought. It may be the biggest accomplishment in history. Hundreds of thousands of miles away from Earth, and some people actually walked on it. Much has been learned from the information gained from this mission, and it may only be the beginning of space exploration. It is one of an infinite number of planets and moons in the universe just waiting to be explored.