I. Political and Economic Situations surrounding the Space Race in America
“The good news for space exploration in general is that public opinion favors it – but only when not taking economic costs and budgetary spending into consideration.” (Hsu)
Setting up the backdrop for the rise of the space program simultaneously builds the opposing argument for its continuation past 1969 as well. As culturally beneficial as it eventually resulted to be, it can be widely agreed that the initialization of the race to the moon was not sparked by human curiosity itself. The primary motivator for initial American exploration into space was a silver beach-ball sized hunk of metal called Sputnik. Normally a Russian ball made of metal wouldn’t unnerve anyone- however, this particular soviet sphere of steel was Earth’s first man-made satellite. “Never before had so small and so harmless an object created such consternation.” —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Americans: The Democratic Experience On November 3, 1957, one-hundred and eighty-three pounds of Russian metal orbited Earth, emitting radio chirps heard back home on planet Earth. “Listen now,” one NBC radio announcer commented, “for the sound that forevermore separates the old from the new.” The incoming signal from Sputnik followed, beeps in the key of A-flat dubbed “the deep beep-beep” by the Associated Press (Dickson). As the transmitter aboard Sputnik relayed these beeps across the surface of the Earth, a panic ensued in America. This action by Russia caught Americans by surprise, who had considered themselves the technological pacesetters for decades. Now, fears sparked concerning Russia’s potential capability of launching missiles with nuclear armaments from Europe to America. High-ranking Russian official Premier Nikita Krushchev boasted, “America sleeps under a Soviet moon” (Mintsz), citing the omnipresence of Soviet military power over the globe. The United State’s first action in response to Sputnik I and II (the latter being launched later in November of the same year,) was a catastrophic failure. Vanguard TV3 was a multipurpose satellite intended to be launched into orbit around Earth, “...designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and study the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It also was to be used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis” (NASA). The Vanguard’s boosters malfunctioned, however, and brought the project down to a catastrophic halt. America’s government, under the Eisenhower administration, jumped into action. In July of 1958, Congress passed legislation replacing the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This revamp upgraded the body’s properties from a simple advisory board to a civilian body whose responsibility was to coordinate the States’ affairs in space. Still red in the face from the Sputnik trump, the U.S. immediately began developing a response, signaling the start of the Space Race (History.com). At this point in time, early 1958, the summarization of historical facts must be paused and perspective …show more content…
In order to fully understand the aftermath of the space race, the international competition itself must be analyzed for its landmarks in history and effects on the different nations involved. The flagship developments being discussed translate directly into social and cultural movements that grind out political and economic progression. It cannot be appropriate to ask the question of whether losing focus from the space program was a right step, without first completely understanding the circumstances under which the program was …show more content…
Kennedy took over the presidential reins from a harrowed Eisenhower in the late 1960. Continuing a chronological analysis from the perspective of the Cold War conflict, Kennedy found himself faced with seemingly insurmountable circumstances: America was in the process of a deep cultural recession and needed a solution, needed a way out. Kennedy’s answer was delivered in his famous speech in May of 1961: Surpass Russia entirely by the end of the decade, landing a man on the moon and bringing him home safely. This accomplishment, Kennedy thought, would overshadow the blaring facts that the Soviets had put a probe on the moon, a satellite in solar orbit, and the first man into space, all before the United States.The conclusion can be made that the long-term goal Kennedy set to land a man on the moon was for wartime reasons and instigated by the
“The good news for space exploration in general is that public opinion favors it – but only when not taking economic costs and budgetary spending into consideration.” (Hsu)
Setting up the backdrop for the rise of the space program simultaneously builds the opposing argument for its continuation past 1969 as well. As culturally beneficial as it eventually resulted to be, it can be widely agreed that the initialization of the race to the moon was not sparked by human curiosity itself. The primary motivator for initial American exploration into space was a silver beach-ball sized hunk of metal called Sputnik. Normally a Russian ball made of metal wouldn’t unnerve anyone- however, this particular soviet sphere of steel was Earth’s first man-made satellite. “Never before had so small and so harmless an object created such consternation.” —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Americans: The Democratic Experience On November 3, 1957, one-hundred and eighty-three pounds of Russian metal orbited Earth, emitting radio chirps heard back home on planet Earth. “Listen now,” one NBC radio announcer commented, “for the sound that forevermore separates the old from the new.” The incoming signal from Sputnik followed, beeps in the key of A-flat dubbed “the deep beep-beep” by the Associated Press (Dickson). As the transmitter aboard Sputnik relayed these beeps across the surface of the Earth, a panic ensued in America. This action by Russia caught Americans by surprise, who had considered themselves the technological pacesetters for decades. Now, fears sparked concerning Russia’s potential capability of launching missiles with nuclear armaments from Europe to America. High-ranking Russian official Premier Nikita Krushchev boasted, “America sleeps under a Soviet moon” (Mintsz), citing the omnipresence of Soviet military power over the globe. The United State’s first action in response to Sputnik I and II (the latter being launched later in November of the same year,) was a catastrophic failure. Vanguard TV3 was a multipurpose satellite intended to be launched into orbit around Earth, “...designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and study the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It also was to be used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis” (NASA). The Vanguard’s boosters malfunctioned, however, and brought the project down to a catastrophic halt. America’s government, under the Eisenhower administration, jumped into action. In July of 1958, Congress passed legislation replacing the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This revamp upgraded the body’s properties from a simple advisory board to a civilian body whose responsibility was to coordinate the States’ affairs in space. Still red in the face from the Sputnik trump, the U.S. immediately began developing a response, signaling the start of the Space Race (History.com). At this point in time, early 1958, the summarization of historical facts must be paused and perspective …show more content…
In order to fully understand the aftermath of the space race, the international competition itself must be analyzed for its landmarks in history and effects on the different nations involved. The flagship developments being discussed translate directly into social and cultural movements that grind out political and economic progression. It cannot be appropriate to ask the question of whether losing focus from the space program was a right step, without first completely understanding the circumstances under which the program was …show more content…
Kennedy took over the presidential reins from a harrowed Eisenhower in the late 1960. Continuing a chronological analysis from the perspective of the Cold War conflict, Kennedy found himself faced with seemingly insurmountable circumstances: America was in the process of a deep cultural recession and needed a solution, needed a way out. Kennedy’s answer was delivered in his famous speech in May of 1961: Surpass Russia entirely by the end of the decade, landing a man on the moon and bringing him home safely. This accomplishment, Kennedy thought, would overshadow the blaring facts that the Soviets had put a probe on the moon, a satellite in solar orbit, and the first man into space, all before the United States.The conclusion can be made that the long-term goal Kennedy set to land a man on the moon was for wartime reasons and instigated by the