The Apollo Moon Missions

Web. 02 May 2014. Phillips, Tony. "The Great Moon Hoax." - NASA Science.

2014. Kraft, Christopher C., JR. “Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: Chapter 7.” Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: Chapter 7. NASA Langley Research Center, n.d. Web. 04 Mar.

Effects of the Moon Walk On July 21, 1969 three men impacted the world in a big way. Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin were not the first men to travel in space but they were the first to walk on the moon. Eight years previously, President John F. Kennedy made a speech to the people of the United States that it should be a national goal to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. During the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union were a “who’s bigger and better” contest with each other and space exploration was a part of that. The Soviet Union had begun the space race in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik I, an artificial satellite.

“That’s one step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” That is one of the most memorable quotes said by Neil Armstrong (1969) when he landed on the moon. However, do you know about the previous events that lead to this remarkable achievement? Also, do you know about all the the other remarkable space achievements? This includes the motivation from President Kennedy’s speech, the successful use of satellites, and the previous manned missions. These events all helped in getting a man to land on the moon, which soon led to the conclusion of the Space Race.

Apollo 11 On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union, our chief rival the in Civil War, launched the worlds first satellite, the Sputnik 1 (Piddock, Zissou). Scared the Soviet Union would gain control of space; President John F. Kennedy met with NASA to discuss putting a man on the moon (Piddock, Zissou). The Apollo 11 mission wasn’t just the first lunar-landing attempt: it was a giant step for mankind that came with various consequences (SV; SV). In the NASA meeting Kennedy stated, “Whatever the cost, we must get a man on the moon before the soviets. There’s nothing more important” (Piddock, Zissou).

13 Feb. 2014. ~Nave, Carl R. "Apollo Moon Exploration." Apollo Moon Exploration. N.p., n.d. Web.

Apollo 11: The Greatest Achievement in Human History Final Draft “On July 16, 1969 the world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon.” (news.nationalgeographic.com). This was the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the first successful manned mission to the moon. This mission was the product of the space race (race to see who would go into outer space first, against the Soviet Union). This goal was set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 and he promised that we would be the first to step on the moon by the end of the decade. The Apollo 11 mission is often cited as the greatest achievement in human history.

As President Kennedy said, "We are behind and will be for a period in the future" (Sullivan 142). We were no longer the superior champions we once were. The Soviet Union seemed unstoppable; by 1961 Russian Major Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the earth in a spaceship. Less than two months later, the United States publicly announced their 20 billion dollar space program, Project... ... middle of paper ... ...s. By viewing the Earth as a whole, we discovered truths about humanity that sparked a new perspective of thought and understanding for our generation and the generations to come. "We touched the face of another world, and became people without limits" (Chaikin ix).

You wouldn’t have known that’s what he was communicating by the content of his speech: Obama was more concerned with a NASA budgetary increase of six million dollars, allocated for robotic space missions and technological advancements (Obama n.p). But the heart of the matter, for the scientific community and commentators listening in, was the end of American astronauts drifting into space at the behest of tax payers. The reason for Obama’s manned space flights cut was due largely to the Constellation program, an expansive effort to erect a moon base by 2020 for use as a pit stop in future Mars missions, enacted by the Bush administration in 2005 (Sutter n.p.). The pre-Obama administration prog... ... middle of paper ... ...ts Jobs at Michoud.” wwltv.com 16 Apr. 2010.

N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2014. . Tate, Karl. "NASA's Mighty Saturn V Moon Rocket Explained (Infographic)."