Register to read the introduction…
During the early years of the race, success was marked by headline-making "firsts": the first satellite, first robotic spacecraft to the Moon, first man in space, first woman in space, first spacewalk. To the dismay of the United States, each of these early feats was achieved by the Soviet Union. These events triggered a drive to catch up with, and surpass the Soviets. Shortly after the Soviet’s launching of Sputnik, the Soviets stunned the world again by sending the first person into space. On April 12, 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin circled the Earth once in his Vostok spacecraft and returned safely. Gagarin's flight took place a month before American astronaut Alan Shepard's suborbital flight, and 10 months before astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Once more, Gagarin's flight suggested that the Soviet Union was well ahead in the Space
…show more content…
Following a methodical step-by-step program, in which each mission built upon and extended the previous ones. The Mercury and Gemini missions carefully prepared the way for the Apollo lunar missions. The end of the Moon Race appeared imminent with the successful completion of the Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 missions. The crew of Apollo 8 looped around the Moon in December 1968. They were the first people to see "Earthrise.”. These missions built confidence that the United States was ready to proceed with the lunar landing. It was time; Apollo 11’s mission objective was simply “Perform a manned lunar landing and return”. July 20, 1969 at 10:56:15 American Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to set foot on a lunar surface. Commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong received back up from commander module pilot Michael Collins and lunar-module pilot Buzz Aldrin. The men bestow on the moon the
American flag, and a plaque that read, “Here men from planet Earth first set foot upon the moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind”. The event was watched by over 500 million people around the world. Social commentators widely recognized the lunar landing as one of the defining moments of the 20th
Following a methodical step-by-step program, in which each mission built upon and extended the previous ones. The Mercury and Gemini missions carefully prepared the way for the Apollo lunar missions. The end of the Moon Race appeared imminent with the successful completion of the Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 missions. The crew of Apollo 8 looped around the Moon in December 1968. They were the first people to see "Earthrise.”. These missions built confidence that the United States was ready to proceed with the lunar landing. It was time; Apollo 11’s mission objective was simply “Perform a manned lunar landing and return”. July 20, 1969 at 10:56:15 American Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to set foot on a lunar surface. Commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong received back up from commander module pilot Michael Collins and lunar-module pilot Buzz Aldrin. The men bestow on the moon the
American flag, and a plaque that read, “Here men from planet Earth first set foot upon the moon July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind”. The event was watched by over 500 million people around the world. Social commentators widely recognized the lunar landing as one of the defining moments of the 20th