On a sunny Wednesday in September, 1962 at Rice University President John F. Kennedy proclaimed a timeless declaration for space exploration:
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize the measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”
His speech, one that inspired many to dream beyond the stars in 1962, resonates today in 2013. While spoken true of pioneering space exploration, related fields such as Aerospace Engineering accelerated their development. In this decade, aspiring to be an Astronaut is as real as pursuing a career in Aerospace Engineering. Since NASA’s space exploration and shuttle mission inception there have been 16 out of 321 Astronauts that are of African decent. Similarily, While on a surface level these careers are diametrically similar, upon closer examinations of many key points to their nature, one will find career paths that co-mingle, and then diverge to unique outcomes.
Education is the gateway to success in life. Without a solid foundation on basic mathematics and scientific principles, a career in either field is all for naught. Investigation in each field’s education requirements reveals similarities in the means, but contrasting ends.
The basic education requirements for crew members aboard space sailing vessels is a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. One would assume degrees in Aerospace or Aeronautical Engineering or Physics would be highly desired, yet this is not the case. In fact, past as...
... middle of paper ...
...id unnecessary spending. Ultimately, Astronauts and Aerospace Engineers alike have found themselves in a vacuum of employment in this decade, as neither field is showing promising signs of expansion.
To summarize, Aerospace Engineering and Astronaut shuttle missions with NASA are both in fluctuation periods. While these times should not discourage the pursuit of happiness in the respective field, it should be taken into consideration when comparing the two for career success. Research into some key points such as education requirements, compensation, and work environment reveal discerning qualities that better highlight the risk and rewards to the career field. Where one develops the innovative aircraft, the other pilots it to new frontiers and beyond, for as President Kennedy said, “we choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
Throughout history, there had been various types of accomplishments that made an impact to the nation. Every effect in the past is what sculpted the present time as today. Although the several altercations in the past dealt with several wars that made impacts towards the future, there had been other types of certain events that improved the future. In addition, the United States has always been known as being number one in multiple criteria performed. So it was no surprise when the U.S. decided to launch a mission to moon back in 1961. Nonetheless, John F. Kennedy had been the current president at the time in which he delivered the famous “We Choose to go to the Moon” speech. The type of format he used to deliver his speech was encouraging to his audience. In the “We Choose to go to the Moon” speech John F. Kennedy used anaphora, parallelism, and metonymy to encourage his audience that traveling to the moon was the right thing for the nation.
Blasting off into space was once an all-male’s game. But on the heels of such trailblazers as Sally Ride, engineer and inventor Ellen Ochoa became part of growing breed of NASA female astronauts who have since helped change all that. Ellen Ochoa, a veteran astronaut, is the 11th director of the Johnson Space Center. She is JSC’s first Hispanic director, and its second female director. In 1993, she made history by becoming the first Hispanic woman from any country to travel in space. She would follow up this journey with three more space flights in 1994, 1999 and 2001, logging more than 700 hours in space. Despite being rejected two times from NASA’s Training Program,
We choose to go to the Moon. (2014, May 5). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_choose_to_go_to_the_Moon
Lind, Michael. "Why We Should Embrace the End of Human Spaceflight."Salon.com. N.p.: n.p., 2011. N. pag. Rpt. in NASA. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
Kennedy had realized that the only way to overtake the Soviets after falling so far behind, would be by putting the first man on the moon. The US morale had taken a serious blow following Sputnik and the first cosmonaut in space, Yuri Gagarin. On September 12th, 1962, Kennedy delivered his famous speech, saying “We choose to go to the moon.” Kennedy knew that it was essential to gather support behind a manned mission to the moon from the American public. Although many argued that it would be easier, and more efficient to send an unmanned mission to the moon, it was more about the morale boost and the message a man on the moon would send to the
HALVORSON, TODD. "As uncertainty grows over future of U.S. human spaceflight, NASA workers grow anxious". Gannett News Service. 29 Jan 2010 eLibrary. Web. 18 Feb 2010.
Aerospace engineers must get used to computer work and desk if they wish to be successful in their field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Aerospace engineers are now spending more of their time in the office working with computers than ever before.” Every ty...
Are we allotting enough funding for aerospace research? At the present time, significant progress in aerospace research will not be made for a long time. It is sad that we don’t place more urgency on such an important field. Yes, there is still research being conducted in the field; however, limited funding prevents significant advancement. The benefits derived from aerospace research should provide enough justification for investing more money in this area. The benefits are not exclusive to sp...
We choose to go to the moon. By John Kennedy. Rice University, Houston. 12 September 1962.
Aerospace engineers examine, analyze, design, produce, and occasionally install components that make up aircraft, spacecraft, high-altitude vehicles, and high-altitude delivery systems (missiles). Satisfaction with the romantic image of rocket building can buoy many engineers through the highly anonymous work environments that many of them face. Individuals don't assemble rockets; teams do, dozens of teams working in highly supervised coordination. An aerospace engineer plays some part on one of the teams, spending more of her time (roughly 70 percent) in a lab, at a computer, and assembling reports than doing anything else. Not being able to see the "big picture" frustrates some professionals. The path to becoming an aerospace engineer is a rigorous one, but those who manage to survive the difficult lift-off emerge with an above-average degree of career satisfaction.
... own question of “why...the moon?” by saying, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills”. By answering his own rhetorical question, it emphasizes to the reader that it is reasonable to travel to the moon, it will just take alot of dedication and hard work to succeed such a task.
These early space missions excited most of the people in developed countries, but there were some problems. The Soviet Union had made it into space, and now President John F. Kennedy wanted to land on the moon first. President John F. Kennedy said, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving
Detractors of public sector space agencies like NASA frequently argue that expending money and resources on sending humans into space is wasteful and irresponsible during shaky economic times. After all, in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau in recorded 46.2 million people in poverty, the largest number in the 52 years the figure has been published. Putting tax dollars into a shuttle and sending it on an extraplanetary voyage is uneconomical in the eyes of many. However, beneficial developments of the space program can be found in airports, hospitals, laboratories, and homes around the world. Foam created for protecting the outside of a shuttle passing through the harsh atmosphere has found use as a durable, light-weight molding material for artificial limbs. Research and development for NASA'S programs has parented a network of hundreds of communication satellites used around the world on a daily basis and monitored by NASA. Robotic arms used for repairs, maintenance, and hazardous labor in sp...
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It was July 20 1969, the day that reshaped our nation and gave us unparalleled dreams for the future. The impact of the day goes far beyond our pride and nationalism; that day would change space exploration and technology forever. Just like a shooting star, that day would give us a glimpse of hope. A chance to see an event so breathtaking and defying, it would be man’s greatest accomplishment in the 20th century. As millions of people watched from their TV sets, a rush of euphoria came over the nation as Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the surface of the moon. It was the first time in the history of mankind that we would step on the surface of another celestial body. John F. Kennedy dared us to dream, he inspired the nation to reach for the moon, to set ourselves apart from the rest of the world. The Space Race was symbolic of many things. Our future as the technically dominate nation was secured in place; just as secure as Old Glory would be, when she was driven down into the soil of the moon. We not only reached the moon, we conquered it as a nation; united.
To prepare for the conversation, research was conducted to make sure there was enough information about the future of space flight; and that people of different ages and educational and professional backgrounds could engage in the topic. Two weeks before the conversation, twelve possible participants were emailed and asked to participate in the conversation. One and a half weeks before the conversation, an agenda, research resources, and the promise of food and drinks were emailed to the accepting participants.