On July 20th, 1969 the America watched proudly as man set foot on the moon for the first
time. Millions eagerly watched live as the Apollo 11 crew stepped onto the moons dry dusty
surface and began exploring it. Some would say it was the single greatest technological
achievement of all time and it changed the world forever. It was not only a quest for knowledge
but also a race against the soviets. America had never faced a challenge quite as difficult as this
one.
As World War II ended, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were
becoming more and more strained. This marked the beginning of what would be called the Cold
War. Several advancements were made by the Soviets in space exploration resulting in the
successful launching of the worlds first man made satellite in space, Sputnik, in 1957. The U.S.
feared that with the new space technology developed by the Soviets they could spy on us or even
launch missles at us from outer space.
Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon, July 20, 1969
Aldrin poses on the Moon, allowing Armstrong to ph...
Buzz Aldrin salutes the U.S. flag on Mare Tranquil...As a result of U.S. concern, the government took several
actions to upgrade U.S. performance in science and mathematics. In addition, the government
created NASA through the National Aeronautics and Space Act in 1958 to focus our country's
resources to catch and surpass the Soviets' space program. In 1961, John F. Kennedy made his
famous speech where he promised to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade "not
because it was easy but because it was hard". It would be mainly up to NASA to make that
promise come true. (http://www.grc.nasa.gov...).
In 1961 the decision was made to go to the moon. By the time that the goal was
accomplished in 1969, only few of the key figures associated with the decision were still...