The Apollo Program’s Unknown Savior The space race was a long and complicated time in history in which many people became well known for their contributions to science and the space race. One of the most well-known is JFK, but his Vice President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, was as much of a force in making the American space program great if not a greater force than the President.
Although the space race isn’t officially considered to have started until 1957, the race actually began at the end of World War two. After the Germans surrendered, the USSR and America rushed to capture Germany’s top rocket scientists to attempt to catch up with the German’s V-2’s. Both the U.S and the USSR captured German rocket scientists, but …show more content…
If he didn’t he would be guaranteed to lose the 1964 election. LBJ came up with an idea: JFK should send him a memorandum inquiring about how America could beat the soviets in the space race, and whether there was a better way to prove American dominance that to land the first man on the moon. immediately, Johnson set his experts to work drafting up answers to the provided questions and began figuring out how to get the new Apollo project to succeed. To further convince the President to support the Apollo program, he sent a report to JFK stating that “If we do not make the strong effort now, the time will soon be reached when the margin of control over space and over men's minds through space accomplishments will have swung so far on the Russian side that we will not be able to catch up, let alone assume leadership... Manned exploration of the moon, for example, is not only an achievement with great propaganda value, but it is essential as an objective whether or not we are first in its accomplishment-and we may be able to be first” (Reichstein 122). Thoroughly convinced of the importance of the space race, on May 25th 1961, JFK wore to land a man on the moon in his state of the union …show more content…
Before the race even started, he knew how important it was to beat the USSR into space, writing that “There is something more important in front of us than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over earth that lies somewhere out in space” (Reichstein 115). He also managed to convince JFK of the importance of the space race, resulting in JFK’s promise to land a man on the moon by the end of the century. While LBJ was president NASA experienced its glory years, and though there were some disasters like the Saturn V, the space program made great leaps and bounds towards the moon landing during his presidency. Without his support, the USSR may well have won the space
Although the space race isn’t officially considered to have started until 1957, the race actually began at the end of World War two. After the Germans surrendered, the USSR and America rushed to capture Germany’s top rocket scientists to attempt to catch up with the German’s V-2’s. Both the U.S and the USSR captured German rocket scientists, but …show more content…
If he didn’t he would be guaranteed to lose the 1964 election. LBJ came up with an idea: JFK should send him a memorandum inquiring about how America could beat the soviets in the space race, and whether there was a better way to prove American dominance that to land the first man on the moon. immediately, Johnson set his experts to work drafting up answers to the provided questions and began figuring out how to get the new Apollo project to succeed. To further convince the President to support the Apollo program, he sent a report to JFK stating that “If we do not make the strong effort now, the time will soon be reached when the margin of control over space and over men's minds through space accomplishments will have swung so far on the Russian side that we will not be able to catch up, let alone assume leadership... Manned exploration of the moon, for example, is not only an achievement with great propaganda value, but it is essential as an objective whether or not we are first in its accomplishment-and we may be able to be first” (Reichstein 122). Thoroughly convinced of the importance of the space race, on May 25th 1961, JFK wore to land a man on the moon in his state of the union …show more content…
Before the race even started, he knew how important it was to beat the USSR into space, writing that “There is something more important in front of us than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over earth that lies somewhere out in space” (Reichstein 115). He also managed to convince JFK of the importance of the space race, resulting in JFK’s promise to land a man on the moon by the end of the century. While LBJ was president NASA experienced its glory years, and though there were some disasters like the Saturn V, the space program made great leaps and bounds towards the moon landing during his presidency. Without his support, the USSR may well have won the space