Apollo: the Moon Landing which Triumphed above all Others

At about 3000 feet above the moon's surface, Neil Armstrong noticed that all across the landing site there were many scattered clumps of craters and boulders. At 300 feet, and descending the superb pilot managed to quickly maneuver his spacecraft slightly left in order to avoid the debris and gently landed his spacecraft among an area of smooth land. Upon arrival, Neil Armstrong recited the first words ever spoken on the moon.  Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed (Spangenburg 60). On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong accomplished what John F. Kennedy had dreamed of only 8 years earlier. To land a man on the moon, by the end of the decade (NASA). Apollo 11 was a great technological triumph in space. This historic mission caused massive boosts in the patriotism and confidence of Americans, received support from political figures, showcased American superiority in space, and provided mankind with many new technologies, and a wealth of information on multiple scientific fields.

There were many events taking place at the time of the moon landing which affected the Apollo 11 flight. After World War 2, relationships between the Soviet Union and America grew tense. Since the Soviet Union was under communist rule, nearby countries such as Vietnam were afraid that the Soviets would force their rule upon them (Spangenburg 13). This difference in way of life was what sparked the Cold War which was a tragic war which consisted of the U.S and the soviet union fighting for influence and prestige (Cole, 11). This war sparked a more peaceful competition known as the space race. By 1957 the Soviets developed a rocket which could carry a small satellite into earth's orbit, and by means of this technology, they launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite in space (Riper 14). In response the US created its own space program, NASA in October of 1958. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space after his Vostok spacecraft first reached earth's orbit (Spangenburg 17). Till this point the Soviet Union were defeating the Americans in space, but John F. Kennedy's historic speech to congress was a major turning point. John. F Kennedy's speech led to many successful endeavors in space for the United states, such as project Mercury, and project Gemini, but never had anyone reached the moon. This is why project Apollo was created (Enghland,137)

Apollo 11 was a major triumph from a technological standpoint providing humans with many new technologies, and providing data in multiple scientific fields. To fit the needs of the Apollo mission many technologies had to be created many of which eventually made it to the consumers market, such as nonstick coating, dehydrated foods, miniaturized electronics and many more (Riper 17). The Apollo mission actually did provide taxpayers with tangible results and had a major impact on technologies today. Apollo 11 also created the foundation for the phone since, the phone is made is made of miniaturized electronics. When the astronauts reached the moon they set up seismic experiments, to check for lunar quakes, and meteor strikes. These experiments also sent data about the inner structure of the moon. The Apollo 11 astronauts set up laser reflectors to find the exact distance of the moon from earth, and they brought a solar wind panel to trap atomic particles from the sun to study solar radiation (Green 21). This shows how landing on the moon, impacted our knowledge in multiple scientific fields, but also completed its main purpose of giving mankind information about the moon. In short Apollo 11 triumphed from a technological standpoint by giving humans access to many new technologies, and opening up a wealth of information about many scientific fields.

Apollo 11 received support from major political figures, showcased American superiority in space, and was a great political triumph in the eyes of the United States. The United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold war which sparked the Apollo project (Green 11). This shows the main reason for reaching the moon was to tend to a rivalry between the two nations. On may 25 1961 John.F Kennedy announced, "I believe that this nation should commit itself, to achieving the goal that before this decade's out of the landing, a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth" (Spangenburg 18). This shows that John. F Kennedy, the president of the United States, set the goal to reach the moon, and helped NASA, achieve what we thought to be impossible at the time.

        Apollo 11 was also a social triumph, which boosted the patriotism, and confidence of Americans. 1968 was a very turbulent during which American forces suffered major setbacks in vietnam, Lyndon Johnson ended his bid for reelection, Martin Luther King was assassinated, so the moon landing was a triumph against bad news for everyone. Apollo 11  boosted the confidence of Americans to solve society's problems (Millions Around Globe Hung on Every Word from Astros). Although the space race started because of a rivalry between the nations, it culminated in triumph for the entire human race. For example the plaque, left on the moon states we came in peace for all mankind  (Chaikin 11). Apollo 11 was a triumph for all mankind, even though it started as a rivalry. 

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