AjaTwoCrows

USHistoryHonors
Ms.Dyer
17May2016
RacetotheMoon:AmericanIngenuityandWhatWeGotFromIt
FollowingWWII,theUnitedStateswasembroiledintheColdWarwiththeUSSR(the
SovietUnion).Bothtriedtoassertdominanceovertheotheronmultiplefrontsincludingthe
backingofdifferentbrushfirewarsandthearmsrace.However,thespaceracehadtheworld
watching.ItbeganafterthelaunchofSputnik,aSovietsatellite.TheUSandUSSRbecame
entangledinaspaceracethatendedinAmericanvictoryanditisvitaltorememberthatwin.
AmericansandtheAmericangovernmentshouldlearnthatfundingthespaceraceandNASA
directlybenefitsandbenefitedtheUSbyputtingitattheforefrontoftheglobalstagesocially,
educationallyandintellectually.
ThespaceracesignificantlyadvancednationaleducationandstilldoesbecausetheUS
beganinvestinginthenextgenerationofscientists.Sputnik,thefirstartificialsatellite,is
commonlycreditedwiththebeginningofthespaceracebecauseitcausedtheUStogalvanizeits
effortsafterSputnik'slaunchshowedtheembarrassing...factthattheSovietUnionhad
beatentheUnitedStatesintospace,(Powell).TheUSreactedbymakingscienceincreasingly
importantbecausemanybelievedthatSputnikwasproofthattheUSwasbehindinthescientific
field(Dean).TheNationalDefenseEducationActof1958fundednewscienceeducation
equipmentinschoolsandtheNationalScienceFoundationsbudgettripledfollowingSputnik
(Rissing).Thishelpedstudentsbecause,asDr.HolbrowofMITsays,Weknowwhatworks,

thateducationthatengagesthestudentsdirectlyinahandsonwaywiththematerialsismuch
moreeffective,(Dean).TheNDEAandLyndonB.JohnsonsElementaryandSecondary
EducationAct,anactdesignedtogiveequalopportunitytostudents("Elementaryand
SecondaryEducationAst"),showedacommitmentfromCongresstobetterAmericanEducation
becausetheElementaryandSecondaryEducationActcontinueontodayasNoChildLeft
Behind(Toppo).ThespaceracedirectlyhelpedUSeducationandstilldoes.
ThespaceraceculminatedinadecisiveblowtotheSovietUnionbytheUS:themoon
landing.OnJuly20,1969,NeilArmstrongsteppedonthemoonandchangedhistoryforever
(Harris).ThissuccessshowedtheUSingenuity.Ineightyears,theUSsentthefirsthumansto
anothercelestialbodyprovingAmericandominanceandrememberingthedesireofthebeloved
PresidentJohnF.Kennedy,whopushedfortheprogramin1961,toreachthemoon(Harris).
WhatreallychangedattitudesaboutAmericawasthebroadcastingofthemoonlanding.An
estimated600millionpeopleviewedthemoonlanding(MoonLanding).Justforcomparison,
therewereonly200millionpeopleintheUnitedStatesatthetime(USPopulationPerYear)
and,atthetime,600millionpeoplewashalfoftheworldspopulation(Harris).Millionstuned
intoseeandthemoonlandinggaveAmericanstheconfidenceinAmericasstrengthafterthe
turbulent22yearssincetheColdWarbegan(Harris).DespiteAmericabeingdividedonthe
subjectofcivilrightsandthewarinVietnam,Americanscouldfeelproudtobecitizensofthe
nationthatputamanonthemoon(Harris).TheApollo11missionalsoshowedtheUS
economicandtechnologicalprowess.Theprogramcostabout24billiondollars(abouta100
billionifinflationisconsidered)rivalingthePanamaCanalasthemostexpensivenonmilitary
projectinUShistory(Launius).TheApollo11missioncombinedthetalentsofthousandsof

engineersandpushedthelimitsoftechnology(Harris).Themoonlandingwasevidenceofthe
beautyofAmericandeterminationthatchangedthewayAmericansthoughtoftheircountry.The
fundingofNASAledtooneofthebestmomentsinAmericanhistory.ModerndayAmericans
andtheAmericangovernmentcanlearnfromtheunitingforceofachievement.Thiscanbeseen
todayfromthepositiveandexcitedreactionstotheMarslandings(Diaz)andtheNewHorizons
missiontoPluto(SPACE.comStaff).Americanachievementonthefinalfrontierissomething
Americanscanalwaysbeexcitedabout.
ThemoonlandingandotherNASAendeavorsyieldedsignificantamountsofnew
informationabouttheuniverseandcontinuetotoday.Beforetheracetothemoon,NASA
initiatedtheGeminiProject.TheGeminiProjectwasaseriesoftwomantestflightsusedsothat
NASAcouldpreparefortheApollomissions(Dunbar).FromtheGeminiProject,NASAlearned
whathappenedwhenastronautsspentmanydaysinspace,howastronautscouldgooutsidea
spacecraftinaspacesuitandhowtoconnecttwospacecrafttogetherinspace(Dunbar).Later,
duringandaftertheApollomissions,NASAlearnedthattheMoonislifeless,theMoonhasa
verysimilarcompositiontoEarth,itisancientandthescientistswereabletodeterminethe
compositionofthemoon(ApolloResult).Theingenuityneededforthespaceraceledto
importanttechbreakthroughsstillusedtoday.Theverylonglistincludesjoysticks,3Dgraphics
andvirtualreality,nonreflectivedisplays,earthermometers,GPS,satelliteTV,laptopsand
smokedetectors(Mead).ThefundingofthespaceraceandNASAledtheUStodiscovernew
technologiesandbetterunderstandingEarth.
Whenthespaceracebegan,Americawasraptwithanxiety.Thebeginningofthecold
warandtheideaofnuclearwarmadeAmericansdesiremorethaneverforAmericansuccess.

Thatiswhatthespaceracegavethem.WhenAmericawonthespacerace,Americanswere
reassuredthattheircountrywasawinner.ThefundingofspaceraceandNASAcontinuedto
benefitAmericansbecauseitmadeCongressdomoreforscientificeducationintheUnited
States.ThusmakingAmericathecountrywiththenextgreatgenerationofscientistsfroma
countrythatcouldcarelessaboutscienceintheclassroom.Thelargeamountsofmoneygivento
NASAwasagreatinvestmentintothefuturebecauseityieldedalotofinformationabout
humansinspaceandbroughtbacknewtechnologiesthatareusedtoday.Americansmust
understandtheimportanceofthefundingthespaceraceandNASAbecauseofwhatitshows
aboutAmericaningenuityanddrive.

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