Advancements in Technology from Apollo 1 to Apollo 11

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‘“Neil’s voice was calm, confident, clear. “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed”’ (Shepherd and Slayton 27). These were the words spoken by Neil Armstrong when he successfully landed the lunar module on the dusty soil of the moon. The mission was complete and the race was over. America had at last successfully landed on the moon. It took the space program, NASA, almost twelve years to beat the Russians to the moon (27). These twelve years were filled with success and failure, but it was through hard work that the engineers and scientists at NASA were able to complete the mission to the moon. Most people do not know the full story behind the space race, or even why it happened in the first place. According to Shepherd and Slayton, the space race between the Americans and the Soviet Union began about five years after the events of World War II (Shepherd and Slayton 30). America was hiring German scientists because they knew that the Germans had experience with missiles and warheads. The Germans had already divulged in the development of lethal missiles and did not want to be involved with the Russians, so they decided to work with the Americans in hopes that their dreams of space exploration would come to fruition (31-33). The first rockets in the space race were developed and built on an American arsenal located in Alabama. They were known as the Redstone missiles (33). While the Redstone missiles were a success, the Soviet Union was working on rockets and missiles of their own. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched their own rocket into space. It carried a small satellite known as Sputnik (39). With news of the Soviet Union’s success, America knew they had to go further into space than the S... ... middle of paper ... ...rything created by it can be attributed to the space race, which led to the advancements in rocket design. Works Cited Bilstein, Roger E. Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles. Washington: Scientific and Technical Information Branch, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1980. Print. Brooks, Courtney G., James M. Grimwood, and Loyd S. Swenson. Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft. Washington, DC: Scientific and Technical Information Branch, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1979. Print. Shepard, Alan B., and Donald K. Slayton. Moon Shot: The inside Story of America's Race to the Moon. Atlanta: Turner Pub., 1994. Print Williams, Dr. David R. "The Apollo 1 Tragedy." Apollo 1. NASA, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. .

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