By 1959 the U.S. began to grow more sure that the Soviets would be the first to send someone into space and they were right. As the Soviet flight technology was…
Sally Kristen Ride is widely known and famous for becoming the youngest and first female astronaut in outer space. June 18, 1983, will also be a date connected with Dr. Sally and the amazing achievement on the Orbiter Challenger. As significant as that accomplishment was, that part of history shouldn’t define or sum up who Sally Ride was as a human being. Along with being an astronaut, she was the founder of Sally Ride Science (SRS), and an inspiration to woman.…
America has always taken great pride in its successes and accomplishments in science and technology; its claim of superiority is indisputable and evident with the continuous scientific discoveries and constant advancement of electronic gadgets. However, according to Burton Diche, during the 1950s and 1960s, "the American space program had absorbed a series of high-profile embarrassments as the Soviet Union, with which the U.S. was competing in a so-called Space Race, seemed to remain one step ahead."1 Yet, instead of accepting defeats, America demonstrated its power to the Soviets and the world by the extraordinary triumph of the first moon landing in 1969. In order to fully appreciate the significance of the lunar landing of Apollo 11, one must review the history of the early U. S. space program, from its inception to the successful completion of the Apollo mission.…
The launch of Sputnik, by the Soviets, in 1957 prompted the US to do something to catch up to the Soviets. The first thing the United States did was to end any opposition to developing space travel. By 1961, national prestige was quoted as a reason for developing space travel. The American people supported the Space Race and were thrilled in the fact that they ‘won’ the race. However, by 1970, the political climate had shifted. For the time being liberals were disappointed with the whole technology sector, due to its association with the military during Vietnam. A conservative administration had taken over as well. With limited liberal support, NASA was unable to prevent the Nixon administration from killing the lunar program. NASA was able to salvage a short-term orbital lab, Skylab.…
Amidst the shortcoming of the Cold War, the goal of the 1960’s was “to go above and beyond” in space exploration by successfully landing a man on the moon, which would serve as a gambit to conceivably lead the United States to victory. Before astronauts ventured beyond the earth, scientists had to assess the space environment and the hazards of human exploration. Soon after President John F. Kennedy assumed office in January of 1961, the space race was undoubtedly underway, and the United State’s primary focus was landing a man on the moon--hence, the Apollo Program. These Apollo Missions are significant in that America received technical credibility and hasted the end of the Cold War in our favor. Also, Carole Stott, a long-time astronomer…
According to Steven J. Dick (2008) in The Birth of NASA, Russia’s launch of the Sputnik satellite in October of 1957 was a source of embarrassment for America. America saw itself as a “leader in aeronautical and space science and technology” and Russia beating them to space was a slap in the face. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was born July 29, 1958, at the direction of President Eisenhower. At its outset, some of NASA’s objectives included providing national defense agencies with discoveries that would aid in national defense, reestablishing America as the preeminent technological leader of the world and peaceful cooperation between the U.S. and other nations in pursuit of shared goals (para1-9). Today, with the shuttle program gone, and with NASA’s budget getting ever smaller, these original mandates are getting more and more difficult to fulfill. As a result, America is in danger of losing its position as the preeminent leader in space exploration and technological advancement. This paper will be an examination of reasons why the U.S. should continue to fund space exploration despite other problems in the world today.…
In 1961, the world was changed forever, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin entered the spacecraft Vostok 1 and traveled into space. Following him in the same year, was the American astronaut Alan Shepard in Freedom 7. Then in 1969 the crew of the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon. This space race in the 1960s helped to light the fire of man’s interest in outer space and has lead mankind to wonder if we could live away from the comfort and safety of planet Earth. Many scientist and explorers have wondered if it would be possible to colonize the Moon or Mars for the purpose of research, resources, and hopefully a secondary home for the human race. However, many people have also doubted the idea of leaving the safety of planet Earth to explore other options of habitable places. Many argue that space exploration is dangerous and some critics argue that it is using too much money that could…
The Cold War started after WW2. Harry S. Truman showed off all of his nuclear…
July 16, 9:32am three astronauts (Neil Armstong, Buzz Aldridge, and Michael Collins) sit waiting for launch permission. By 9:44am they are in Earth orbit, July 20 at 10:56pm Neil Armstrong takes his first step on the moon. With more than half a billion people watching on television, he climbs down the ladder and proclaims: "That 's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." (htt5). This was proof of great technological advancement and completion of the challenge set forth by President Kennedy over nine years ago. Project Apollo took on a life of its own over the years and left an important legacy to both the nation and the proponents of space exploration. Its success was enormously significant, coming at a time when American society was in crisis (htt6). This event showed the world and Americans everywhere that The United States was still the ultimate power by demonstrating to the world what the United States could achieve. The moon landing changed the way we viewed the Earth as they pointed a small portable camera toward Earth, showing just how small and fragile the planet really is in the scheme of the universe. The samples taken and brought back from the moon landing opened up knew scientific testing and led the way to multiple other moon landings and advancing our knowledge of space…
Space exploration has always been fascinating, and it gives us hope of finding something new. According to the video “Space Race: 20th Century Timeline and Firsts,” “though the idea of space travel was discussed for hundreds of years, the field of rocketry got its first big boost in the early 20th century.” A century ago, space exploration was just a concept or a dream for mankind, but this idea had been accomplished by the developed of powerful rocket which overcome the force of gravity. In the beginning, on March 16, 1926 an American physicist, Robert A. Goddard, launched the first liquid fuel rocket in history. After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union created their own missile programs. On October 4th 1957, the Soviets launched the first satellite into space. Later on, a national goal of “Landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within a decade” was set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 (Space Race). On July 20, 1969, Astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man walking onto the moon. The space exploration improved for the century, and now the advances of technology have pushed space travel to go further and discover other planets in solar system. However, in order to explore universe in details, many scientists have endeavored very hard to invent more new high technologies. Therefore, with its high technologies, space exploration has a lot of impacts on us today. For example, with the satellite system put up in the space, the weather forecast today has a high accuracy level, and this accuracy has helped in preventing many calamities. Besides the weather forecast, the satellite system also helps people to transmit the news or media all over the world almost instantly. Moreover, the researching space becomes a high paying jobs for many…
After the initial satellite launches and the creation of government-funded space programs the competition of the Space Race only continued to increase. 1959 was highlighted by the first-ever space probe to land on the surface of the moon, this probe was of Soviet manufacture. The 1960s were characterized by a competition to send living beings into space. This started with the 1957 orbit around Earth by a dog named Laika in a Soviet spacecraft (Barksdale), and was succeeded by the Soviets’ successful mission to send a human being, Yuri Gagarin, in orbit around Earth in 1961(“Space Race”).…
Throughout history people have strived to improve technology and discover more information about the world and its universe. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States competed against each other in order to prove they were superior in space exploration. Being the first to send a satellite into space or land a man on the moon ultimately demonstrates advanced science programs, technology, and economic status. Therefore when the Soviet Union launched the first hand made satellite, the United States raced to build, test, and launch one of their own. After several failures, the United States had their first success on March 17, 1958 and within the next few months, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was founded.…
During the late 1950s to the mid 1970s, the US and the Soviet Union, the two Cold War rivals, engaged in a Space Race, a fierce competition for supremacy in spaceflight capability. The Soviet Union achieved an early lead in the Space Race by launching the first artificial satellite into the space with Sputnik 1. The United States quickly followed suit three months later with the launch of Explorer 1. Unsatisfied with being the second to reach space, President John F. Kennedy set his sights for a much higher goal: the Moon. In 1961, President Kennedy announced a national goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Eight years later, the goal was actualized with the Apollo 11 mission. In the years between, there were copious technological…
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space, The Sputnik I. This was detrimental to the U.S. because it meant that they were losing the space race. The Soviets showed the U.S. that they now had the capability to launch satellites and nuclear warheads into space. America quickly answered back with the launch of Explorer I, which was the first American made satellite to orbit around Earth. This achievement by the U.S. led Eisenhower to form the National Aeronautics and Space Admission (NASA). The organization was founded to study and build space exploration vehicles and scientific experiments. Soon after the formation of NASA, the Soviets launched the first man into the orbit of Earth, heating up the space race. Nearly a month later, NASA launched Alan Shepard into space, making him the second man to exit Earth’s atmosphere.…
Apollo 11 fulfilled the national goal set by John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961, “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Four years after the Sputnik shock of 1957, when Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space on April 12, 1961, Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom became the first Americans in space May 5, 1961, although they did not orbit the Earth as Gagarin had. This embarrassed the United States and caused Kennedy to feel pressure to have the United States “catch up and overtake” the Soviet Union in the “space race.” This is when Project Apollo was formed, to execute Kennedy’s goal. “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..." (Kennedy). Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. achieved his goal on July 20, 1969, shocking many and putting the United States ahead in the space race (Ryba).…