The Race to Space
Throughout the twentieth century, space exploration and advancements allowed for the American dream to come to life. The space race, first man on the moon, and other space missions not only helped establish America’s opposing world power, but also acknowledged the fact that the United States encouraged its citizen and gave them a dream to aspire to as a nation. Space exploration achieved the American dream as the United States became a dominant world power and discovered new hopes for knowledge and peace which is emphasized by astronaut Neil Armstrong, President John F. Kennedy, and the first moon landing in 1969.
The space race, which took place between 1957 and 1975, was a competition between two rivals, the United
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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 …show more content…
A single journal entry was written on the Apollo 11 journey by astronaut Armstrong and it reads, “My team and I are laughing in success as we walk down the craters on this alien world. I completely forget about the pain I felt back in training, and during launch of the Apollo 11” (Armstrong). All of the risk and pain eventually led up to the moment in which three American men made history by putting the first footprints on the moon. Discovering a new world exceeded the American dream and achieved great new hopes for life back on Earth. Armstrong goes on to talk about his achievement as he wrote, “I am myself still awed by that miracle. That awe, in me and in each of us… must be the engine of future achievement, not a slow dimming light from a time once bright” (Armstrong). Even the astronauts thought as the others did, NASA has created a miracle. Space advancements and the urge for superiority broke through the barriers of doubt and successfully reached the American
It occurred between the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States, and the two cold war rivals. Technological superiority was essential for the symbolic of ideology and national security. The space race generated innovative artificial satellites, human spaceflights, and unmanned probes of the Mars, Venus and the Moon. Everyone wanted to lead in terms of technological advancement and ability to innovate new
Neil Armstrong wasn't the only human on that mission, the mission had three men Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the actual spacecraft that landed on the moon and Michael Collins was on the orbiter, it orbited the moon for 1 day until Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin joined Collins. After Apollo 11 the Soviets tried to come back so they launched 4 mission to land on the moon between 1969 to 1972. Unfortunately, for the Soviets all four of their missions failed dramatically even a launch-pad exploded in 1969. The American astronauts were seen as ultimate American heroes by many U.S citizens because of their victory in the Space Race against the Soviet Union.
It is often debated whether or not the Space Race was necessary. People have viewed it as a waste of time, money, and resources. America spent over $25 billion on the space program, equivalent to $100 billion today. Many believed that there were far more pressing matters on Earth, and that they should not explore space. Those people only saw the disadvantages that it had (Biddle, 2009). However, the Space Race was beneficial to humanity in various ways. Today Americans can use the knowledge obtained during the Space Race for countless purposes including commercial and military applications (Rabinowitch, 1963).The Space Race changed the face of science, international politics, and technology forever (Schefter 2005). The Space Race was not
"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 and 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." This quote was made by John F. Kennedy on September 12, 1962, and it encompasses the dedication the US had to winning the Space Race, a space technology race between the United States and Soviet Russia. The Space Race would soon become a huge competition led by many big factors and decisions. Overall, The Space Race started with the USSR's launch of Sputnik, an event which fueled nationalism in both countries, and ended with the United States landing a man on the moon.
This accomplishment changed the world in terms of space development. Some can not say the USSR won too because the US has done what the USSR could not at the time. “Such attention proved rewarding 12 years later on July 16th, 1969, as Apollo 11, the fifth manned mission of NASA’s Apollo space program, successfully ended the space race as it landed on the Moon” (Ebscohost). As the USSR accomplished a lot, so has the US. The US made an incredible comeback into the race after being behind, and that should be respected. As shown, both sides deserve to be called winners because of what they have
“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 and 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” (Kennedy 4). John F. Kennedy gave his “We go to the moon” speech on September 12, 1962 to a supportive crowd at Rice Stadium. This speech was given partly as a result of the cold war. Other nations had been making major technological advances and this caused fear in the United States government. In John F. Kennedy’s speech at Rice Stadium, President Kennedy used ethos, pathos, and logos, to convince the American population of the importance of not only participating in the space race, but to also become the highest power in it.
Background: On September 12, 1962, John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered a compelling speech that motivated Americans to commit to the Space Race. The Space Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union that involved sending humans and animals into outer space and soon landing a man on the Earth’s Moon.
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project...will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish” -John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961
It has been forty-seven years since families across America were in awe watching the Apollo 11 land on the moon and hearing Neil Armstrong famously say “That 's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”. It has also been forty-seven years of people doubting the legitimacy of this footage. The theorists versus the realists is a never ending debate over whether this was a staged government hoax or if America actually made it to space. With hundreds of theories circulating involving Stanley Kubrick, Area 51, and the validity of a wrinkle in a flag.Was America really that eager to beat the Soviets and win the Space Race or did we just hit the jackpot in scientific discovery?
“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.” [Address at Rice University, September 12 1962]- John F. Kennedy. The space race was a turing pointin U.S history. With cold war tension rising between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, they turned to space to prove their dominance. However, space exploration did have it’s critics. Many Americans saw that the spending of $23 billion dollars was unnecessary (Historyshots). “There are so many problems to solve on this planet first before we begin to trash other worlds.” - E.A. Bucchianeri, (Brushstrokes of a Gadfly). Many didn't realize that in a sense we were getting our selfs into.The U.S was basically getting them selfs into another war, but this was to be a different
September 12th, 1961, the day known as day that a choice was made by the USA. “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.” (Great Speeches Volume 27: John F. Kennedy, 2012). President John F. Kennedy delivered this infamous speech in the football stadium at Rice University in Houston, Texas on that very day. President Kennedy’s reason for his delivery of this speech was to address the state of our Nation’s Space Effort. The citizens of the United States of America were in quite a state of disappointment due to NASA, or as it was known then NACA (National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics), also how the United States were losing the “race in space” against the Soviets. In order to address this issue President John F. Kennedy developed a well thought-out plan. On May 25th, 1961, JFK proclaimed before Congress that “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him to safely to the earth.” (Kennedy, 1961). Kennedy then went on to address the nation about the need for space exploration through his Rice University speech. Not only did he understand the importance of reaching the same level as the Russians but surpassing them. Why would that be so important? National pride for the American people. Russia had managed to get an upper hand in the space race by successfully launching Sputnik 1 and
"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" (Kennedy). When John F. Kennedy said these famous words, he set the stage for one of the greatest accomplishments the United States of America has ever made. Over the course of that decade, the space race would be in full swing; a universal goal would unite the nation to achieve the dream of sending a man to the moon and safely back to earth. Through human determination, the United States made enough scientific breakthroughs to alter events back on planet earth. In one decade, this nation was able to prove that the sky is no longer the limit. How was the United States able to effectively accomplish such a colossal
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.
“It has a stark beauty all its own. It’s like much of the high desert of the United States. It’s different but it’s very pretty out here”-Neil Armstrong.The Apollo 11 was the first mission to send men to the moon and have them take a step on another planetary body. The objective of this mission was to complete a national goal of a lunar landing determined by President John F. Kennedy. People all around the world were anxiously waiting to witness the mission fail or succeed; everyone had heard about it from newspapers to the television, and even going to see Apollo 11 launch in person. Two articles had been made to show the dangerous circumstances Armstrong and Aldrin would have faced outside of Earth in the unknown outer space. Another article shows the success of the two men sacrificing their lives to achieve something no man has ever done. “In Event of Moon Disaster” and “The July 16, 1969, Launch: A Symbol of Man’s Greatness” are two articles that have different purposes that display how effective they have been, are affected by speaker, audience, and subject, and each article appeal to its own senses of logos, ethos, and pathos.”The biggest benefit of Apollo was the inspiration it gave to a growing generation to get into science and aerospace-Buzz Aldrin.”
“[We chose to go to the moon, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.]” (Kennedy, Space.com) This piece of John F Kennedy’s speech was the fuel for the American space race. It was the birth of the Apollo space mission series, and man’s desire to reach the moon. In the year 2017, the takeaway from the several Apollo missions still resonate today. Being the last set of missions to set foot on the moon, the message for the people seemed clear: Hope. Throughout the entirety of the mission, many small flaws were the cause of major incidents. From the beginning, Apollo had a catastrophic start. Three of its original seven members were incinerated due to design failure of the lunar module. This rough start to NASA’s biggest space program seemed to be the anchor that would stop the ship from moving. As news anchors pointed out as a result of this event, “Apollo [was] out of control.” However, despite the negative feedback of the general population, NASA charged forward with its mission. The result was magnificent, and Neil Armstrong was the result of the hope centered around the mission. His first step on the moon was proof that giving up after the first obstacle, could be the mistake that can never change. Armstrong’s first words to the American people while stepping on the moon changed the desire for space exploration as a whole. His statement, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” (Armstrong, Wikipedia) was the basis for the rest of the Apollo