Apollo 11: One of the Greatest Moments in History

'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, Neil Armstrong, July 20, 1969'. This was one of history's famous quote, Neil Armstrong said this before he took his first step on the moon. The 363 ft. Apollo rocket launch took place in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 9:37 am on July 16, 1969.  The objective of Apollo 11 was to complete as National goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth, (One Giant Leap for Mankind 1st par.). Apollo 11 was one of greatest moments in history not only cause the United States got a man to the moon, but for some other great reasons that shaped America.

        For one, it ended the space race the United States was having with the Soviet Union. The space race happen during the Cold War, although both countries never went to war. The Cold War was tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. Apollo 11 also helped in other political things as well.

Second, people all over the globe saw Apollo 11 on their television. An estimated over half a billion people saw Armstrong's televised image and heard him as he took a step on the moon. It brought America together.

Third Apollo lead to an advantage in technology, that we still use to this day. Leading NASA to discover more space and lead America to the future.

Apollo 11 was a milestone in history because it ended the tension between the United States and Soviet Union, It was the first time man has ever stepped on the moon, and it lead to an advancement in technology.

The Cold War was an event leading up to Apollo 11. Both the United States and the Soviet Union had tension in between them. These two countries both had nuclear missiles, but never used any of the missiles. The Cold War was never a fighting war, It was tension between their supports on a certain side. The moments filled with the most tension were the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, and the Korean War. This war was mainly between the communist party and the democratic party. To see who was the most powerful and better country. When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the United States was surprised to find themselves behind in the race to space ( Rosenberg, First Man on the Moon 1st par.). Then so the race started to see who could land on the moon first. When the race first started the Soviet Union was not ahead, until they created a ballistic missile. They used that same missile to get to the moon, but with some modifications. The reason why putting a man on the moon was important, was to show which country had superior technology and weapons. Still behind the Soviets in the Space Race four years later, President John F. Kennedy gave inspiration and hope to the American people in his speech to Congress on May 25, 1961 in which he stated, "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." ( Rosenberg, First Man on the Moon 2nd par.). The United States achieved this goal before the Soviets in July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon ending the space race. This showed the Soviet Union that the United States was more superior and had better technology. Although this did not end the Cold War, the war ended in 1991, when the Soviet Union fell off and became Russia. Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon showed the United States was superior.

On July 20, 1969,  cameras transmitted images from the moon to over half a billion people on Earth who sat watching their televisions. It was phenomenal that these people were able to witness the amazing events that were unfolding hundreds of thousands of miles above them ( Rosenberg,  First Man on the Moon). All these people from all over the world watching as Neil Armstrong takes his first step on the moon. After a while the astronauts received a call from President Richard Nixon. Nixon began by saying, "Hello, Neil and Buzz. I am talking to you by telephone from the Oval Office of the White House. And this certainly has to be the most historic telephone calls ever made. I just can't tell you how proud we are of what you have done." ( Rosenberg, First Man on the Moon). After Apollo 11 that was all people could talk about at the time. When the astronauts returned back home, a parade was thrown and had many people there. People also believed that the moon landing was fake and it was shot in Hollywood. They also claimed that there was evidence in the video of the moon landing. However, NASA claims they made special cameras so that the people on Earth could watch it happen. Apollo 11 also had an impact on the people not just in the United States, but around the world that the sky is not the limit.

Apollo 11 not only showed us that the sky is not the limit, but that our technology does not stop there as well. The astronauts suit and the LVR. The astronauts suit also known as the mercenary space suit, was made by B.E. Goodrich. Goodrich was assigned the contract in July 1959, to make the spacesuits ( Watkins, Pg. 108). The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LVR) was a project designed by Saverio Sonny Morea. Morea saw the need for a car on the moon. Morea said, We could tell they were struggling. We could hear them breathing hard, Morea says. And that meant they were putting forth a lot of effort, which meant they were consuming a lot of oxygen. We found out that night that working on the moon is hard. It was an issue the LRV could help with. If we were going to do any serious exploring, it was a must. ( Watkins, Pg.180). These people helped create the technology we needed to go to the moon. All this technology had a price to it. An estimated 176 billion dollars was spent on all the Apollo programs including Apollo 11. From the beginning of all the Apollo's till the end, 1962-1972. After people found out how much money was spent they did not want to go to the moon again. Apollo 11 created over 6 thousand inventions that we use in our everyday lives. Inventions such as computer chips, smoke detectors, and tools with no cords. Without Apollo 11 we would not have all the technology we have till this day.  We are still advancing every single day in technology. Apollo 11 also gave us hope for further exploration in the future.

Conclusion

        In conclusion, Apollo 11 helped shape the world we live in today. Although, people till this day still think it was fake that NASA did not land a man on the moon. There is countless evidence that makes it true. What we do know is that Apollo 11 proved to the Soviet Union the United States is superior, how it brought America together, and all the advancement in technology. Apollo 11 may just have seemed to be a man stepping on the moon, but It was so much bigger than that.

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