Pioneering Space Essay

The Space Race was a competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space. From 1955 until 1975, both sides battled it out to be the leader in the competition. Fueled by the Cold War and other causes of the beginning of the race, the Soviet Union and the United States fought for authority in a very public manner through the media. There were many achievements at this time and it led the way for many great things to come afterwards.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is one of the leading organizations in space technology and research. In the past 60 years, NASA has sent numerous satellites, telescopes and crew modules into space. Despite drawbacks in launch failures and lack of funding, NASA continues to focus on its mission in space exploration and technological advancement. One of NASA’s projects is to explore deep space, in which entails a manned missions to Mars, exploration of the asteroid belt, and beyond. With these goals in mind, NASA has engineered new rocketry and even created a program to better allocate costs of such conquests. With these new advancements, NASA has created a new age of how space travel is carried out.

Neil Armstrong 's 1969 lunar landing was one of humanity 's greatest accomplishments. Since then, we have found that an infinite supply of knowledge and resources await us just outside our atmosphere. Today, however, critics are beginning to argue more and more that the cost of space exploration is too high, and therefore new technological developments should be left to the private sector. Whether funded privately or by the government, funding of space exploration is imperative because NASA is essentially the only agency with the technological capabilities to support aircraft manufacturing, air safety and air transportation. Space exploration has also resulted in remarkable innovations that has played a key role in aeronautics research, preventative medicine, and allows scientists to study asteroids, along with other space debris and their impacts on Earth.

When asked, "What is the scientific value of sending men into space?” Anatoly Blagonravov – one of the chief architects of the Soviets Unions' space achievements – answered, "I quite agree that modern techniques [of automatic instrumentation] permit us to solve all the scientific problems we set ourselves. But I do not exclude that in the further development of space techniques the personal participation of Man may be of great interest and importance. Independently of the perfection of automatic machines, Man must see with his own eyes what is going on in space."

Before the causes and results of Kennedy’s decision to land on the moon can be adequately analyzed and discussed, it is necessary to understand the context of his time as President and the events that preceded it. Therefore, I will provide a small amount of context about the Cold War and the situation leading up to Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the moon” speech on September 12, 1962. (Citation).

On May 25, 1961 President John F. Kennedy paved the way for the world’s first lunar landing when he announced the US’s ambitious goal to place an American on the moon before the end of the decade. This historic announcement was fueled by desires to beat the Soviet Union, and show the United State’s dominance, the need for a uniting cause among the American people, and a desire to lead the world in the scientific field.

America’s space program is undoubtedly one of its greatest modern achievements. Few people cannot recall the famous quote “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” or do not know where it came from. The story leading up to the moment a man walked on the moon, as well as everything that came after, is just as interesting and important as the moment itself. The significance of the history of America’s aeronautics programs cannot possibly be overestimated, and their story is one that is incredibly important to the modern world of today. It would not be the nation that it is, with the technology it possesses, without its crucial involvement in the “space race”. If the technology that sent a man to the moon did not exist, our daily lives would be impacted and basic tools would be missing. Beginning with America’s first official aeronautics organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (or NACA) and continuing through to the present day and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (or NASA), the story of America’s aerospace programs is interesting and extremely important. It is a story that spans many years and giant leaps in technology, and involves important locations like Wallops Flight Facility and Kennedy Space Center. From the early beginnings of NACA and Wallops, and continuing on to the rise and success of NASA and Kennedy Space Center, aeronautics

The concept of space exploration was first introduced to the American public in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy famously stood before congress and vowed that America would put a man on the moon “within the decade.” With hopes of defeating the Soviet Union in the “Space Race” and gaining a leg-up in the Cold War, NASA funding reached its all-time high in 1965-1966 when about four percent of the federal budget was devoted to exploring space. Since then however, funding dedicated to exploring space has nose-dived to about one-half of a percent of the federal budget (Tyson), with plans to cut that figure by an additional $260 million in 2017 (cite NASA funding cuts). Experts in the space-sciences field argue that increased funding in space exploration would re-ignite the American economy and return America to the scientific prominence it was once known for, while, on the other end of the spectrum, naysayers suggest that exploring space is an economic sink-hole that the United States can no longer afford to deposit to given its own earth-bound troubles.

The greatest number of advances in exploration and discovery were made during the Space Race (Rabinowitch, 1963). The Space Race supplied vital knowledge about space to curious minds, and allowed Americans to better comprehend the expanse of the area beyond Earth. With new satellites, such as the Transit Satellites, Americans could now receive warnings of hurricanes and storms, as well as view forest fires and icebergs. The Space Race also brought the establishment of NASA in 1958 to oversee the space program and to ensure America won the Space Race (Young, Silcock, & Dunn, 1969). Since then, NASA has made many discoveries, advancing our scientific knowledge, and currently employs about 18,000 Americans. The knowledge that the Space Race provided helped accomplish many historical feats and eventually allowed a man to visit the moon (Cadbury, 2007). The discoveries that were founded during the Space Race resulted in new ideas about galaxies, solar systems, and the universe (Rabinowitch,

Additionally, President John Kennedy’s speech stated, “...space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there…” (Kennedy). The American dream is directly put into words as the former president discusses the achievements he hopes to attain if and when he lands the first man on the moon. After landing on the moon, the hope was that America would prove to the rest of the world, especially the Soviet Union, that the U.S. is a dominant world power and that we would be a leader in promoting world

In 1961, the United States of America was embroiled in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. This confrontation was taking place not only on land, sea and air, but in space as well. On May 25th, 1961 recently elected US President John F. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress, during which he outlined his now famous Man on the Moon challenge. It was through this ambitious dream that the creation of the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA) came about, which President Kennedy challenged to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Although he didn't live to see the achievement of his dreams, the United States successfully landed Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the moon on July 20, 1969 and

As humans, we always push to explore for new discoveries, it is in our blood to explore and push scientific boundaries. Space exploration has allowed us to expand our technology, foster a curiosity in humans, discover new worlds, and most importantly push even further to discover life in a new planet. With the advancement of new technology and innovators, there has been a significant discussion whether sending humans with the support of robots is the most efficient method. However, there are great arguments made that sending exclusively robots on space exploration is the best strategy. There is

Sending humans into space is far more momentous than robots. In 1962, President Kennedy gave a speech spurring the interest of space in America. This speech led to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) budget increasing to over four percent of the federal budget in the 1960’s, which helped get the first humans to the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped off of Apollo 11 and said: “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” This historic moment was a huge milestone for the entire world, as it showed what we could achieve.

Did you know that space exploration was in its prime in the 1960’s? There were things such as the first man sent up to space in 1961. Or in 2004 the universe’s largest known diamond was discovered as a dwarf star. There were many breakthroughs that have shaped space exploration up to how it is today. Many of those breakthroughs have come from the Soviet Union (Russia) and the USA. Such as in 1969 there was the first man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong. Or in 1963 the first woman was sent up to space, Valentina Tereshkova.

In the early 60s, President John F. Kennedy led America into a space race against the Soviet Union. American men and women across the nation backed this goal, allowing NASA to take great leaps in advancing its space exploration programs. This unified nation fulfilled its goal, and Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. However, since then, America’s space exploration has only declined. Funding for NASA has been drastically cut, thus greatly limiting the opportunities for exploring the cosmos. Understanding and exploring the universe is detrimental to the advancement of the United States and opens the door for vast possibilities. If the government chooses to limits its own advancement, then that responsibility must fall