One Friday night, the Parker family gathered around their 1962 television to watch the nightly news. When watching, the news reporter described the near future plans for the trip to the moon. The family, thinking quietly to themselves, had much doubt in their minds. The father turned to his wife in confusion and said “People on the moon? That is crazy! I have never heard of such a thing.”
“You are not actually believing what they are saying, are you?”
“No, that is impossible! They may be able to take a trip to space, but no way will anyone be able to land on the moon.”
Little do they know that we will succeed in much more than just a trip to the moon.
From the beginning of time, humans have been uncertain of many things. We always strive to learn more about our world everyday, whether it be studying plants or
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studying planets. There is one thing that different about the study of plants and the study of planets; we may know everything about plants, but we do not know everything about space. Over the years, we have gained much knowledge of space by traveling into outer space and collecting data from it. Scientist have stepped up their game over the past 64 years in order to make safe trips to space and collect valuable data. At the rate scientist are learning, astronauts will make it beyond the moon and land on Mars in the near future. Dating all the way back to 20th century, the development of large, efficient rockets has allowed humans to explore earth.
The first big step to getting into outer space all started with the invention of the rocket. Since rocket usage allows humans to go beyond the view of the naked human eye, we now have a better understanding of how outer space functions. Originally, the rocket was primarily used by the Chinese for ceremonial and military purposes. Finally, after years of experimenting, a rocket powerful enough to overcome the force of gravity was developed. The rocket was created in Russia, by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky; in the United States, by Robert Goddard; and in Germany, by Hermann Oberth. This then lead to the first man to actually go into space, Alan Shepard. Not only was he the first man in space, he was one of seven men who were NASA’s first astronauts ever. Shepard’s trip took place on May 5th, 1961 on the Mercury-Red 3, also known as the Freedom 7. His time in space averaged out to be about 9 days and 57 minutes. Even though Alan Shepard’s trip was one of the most advanced and influential trips in history, it may arguably be the most
memorable. She may not have been the first human in space, but Christa McAuliffe was set out to be the first teacher and non-astronaut civilian to reach space. McAuliffe was the primary selection in the Teacher in Space Project in 1984. She was a high school teacher from Concord, New Hampshire when she was selected to travel to outer space with 6 other astronauts. At the age of 37, in 1986, McAuliffe was prepared to experience space travel on the Challenger spacecraft. That is, until seconds after take off when the space launcher exploded into flames. The actual spacecraft itself, which held the crew, was still intact, but it plummeted into the ocean with an acceleration of 200 g. It is unclear if the explosion or the impact of the ocean had killed the crew. The tragic disaster lead to a reevaluation of the space program. ("Christa McAuliffe Biography 1) The new goal is to make certain that a suitable launch system is available when satellites were scheduled to fly. This goal is attainable today due to the fact we have more than one launch method and launch facility available. NASA made multiple changes to ensure that there is never a reoccurrence of what had happened. After having the ability to go into space, why not put a man on the moon? In 1969, NASA had officially accomplished this goal. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the first boot prints on the moon. The saying goes, “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Only twelve men throughout the world have stepped foot on the moon. Half of those men drove lunar roving vehicles (LRV). A LRV is a full-functioning vehicle designed for the use of astronauts on the moon's surface. One invention in particular turned the space game around.On November 20th, 1998, the International Space Station (ISS) came about. The ISS is a space station located in the Earth’s low orbit. The orbit of the ISS is approximately 4.76 miles per second. This station, though international, is operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency. According to NASA, the ISS cost 150 billion dollars to build and to launch ("Is The International 1). At all times, the ISS carries 3 to 6 astronauts on board. These astronauts are from the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe. The sole purpose of the International Space Station is to provide a home for astronauts and cosmonauts. Today, the ISS is still intact and in use by many different nations that helped run and build it.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," said by Neil Armstrong as he took his first steps on the moon during the NASA Apollo 11 expedition to the moon. No man has ever been to the moon before and NASA, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was the first to get someone to land on the moon. NASA has had many great accomplishments in exploring the "new frontier" that have affected the United States ever since it was first created in July 1958. The idea for NASA first started when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite on October 4, 1957. United States started up its own space travel program and started to work on its own projects that would be better in than the Soviet Union's. This all started the great space race. It was a big race between the Soviet Union and the United States to see who could learn and discover the most. The United States and Soviet Union started building and sending satellites and space ships. Then they tried to see who could make a suit and ship that would be able to allow a living thing to go up in space. They tested out all of the equipment with monkeys and dogs, seeing what would work. Many animals did die in the process but by the results of their testing they were able to build suits and ships that allow human beings to go up in space. Even though they were able to create these machines, that doesn't mean that they didn't have their difficulties and dangers. Two space shuttles were crashed or blown up. There were many key factors that they had learned to fix that resulted in the crashing of those ships. They have made many discoveries and accomplishments like having the first astronauts walk on the moon.
As a result of the successful mission that landed the first men on the moon, called the Apollo 11 mission, many people were inspired to provide commentary on this landing. Although these texts describe unique individual purposes about this landing, they all effectively support their purposes through the use of several rhetorical devices.
The following four texts apart of the Culminating Activity were all related to the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which had first put a man on the moon. The first article was from the Times of London, and served to describe the events of the moon landing from the astronaut's point of view. The article used anecdotal evidence to describe Aldrin and Armstrong's experience in order to inform the audience of what had occurred, as well as the reactions in several different countries.. The speaker is a from a reputable news source, The Times, and is informing the European audience - as this event was apart of America’s space program, NASA - of the landing as a great success. Although
Griggs, Brandon. "Could Moon Landings Have Been Faked? Some Still Think so." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 July 2009. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
(384,403 km) into space to our neighbor celestial bodies, but also send them back with a successful flight to our mother earth. This seems like a difficult task for a country that was behind Russia in space exploration at the time. So, does NASA actually have enough technology to do this? Even though many Americans believe that the United States sent men to the moon in 1969, there are a few who believe that the moon landing was a hoax. A 1999 Gallup poll showed that 6% of Americans have doubts about the moon landing.
Space travel began in the 1960s with sending humans on single missions into space. Rockets launched into the air and just the tip would land in the ocean after parachuting back to Earth ("Space Shuttle Program," par. 4). The focus of space exploration changed during the 1980s; shifting from the desire for human space flight to the desire to create a reusable spacecraft. Originally called Space Transportation System (STS), NASA created the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) (Heiney, par. 1-2). It wanted a shuttle that was more economical because it could be launched, landed and relaunched and could gather better information. The 1980s began a new era in space exploration and had one the biggest tragedies in the history of space travel.
President Kennedy has shown the commitment, justified the struggles, and now developed the need in every listener’s mind why America needs to be the first country to land a person on the moon. Looking back, he obviously succeeded. His speech was the major turning point in making the move happen, and rhetorical questions, allusions, and repetition all played an important role in making the speech so persuasive and inspiring.
The success of Apollo 11 which included the historic presence of the first humans on the moon signified the greatest extent of human intellectual advancement. Apollo 11 was part of a larger project known as the Apollo Program, comprised of a large number of unmanned test missions and 11 manned missions. The Apollo Program was intended to land humans on the moon and safely return them back to Earth. Of the 15 missions executed, six resulted in success to date. The concept of space expedition was initially sparked by the Russian launch of satellite Sputnik during the Cold War. The launch induced the creation of NASA’s first human spaceflight program called Project Mercury. A portion of the United States saw the launch as beneficial, as it established the need for the country’s advance, whereas others were concerned about what the Soviet Union will make out of this achievement. The first successful manned space expedition executed was Apollo 7, which had a tremendous influence in the outcome of the subsequent missions. Various other missions were performed before the launch of Apollo 11, some of which were unsuccessful such as Apollo 1, whereas others, like Apollo 7, had prospered in assisting in the success of Apollo 11. During the momentous mission, the participants, Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, fulfilled their roles effectively. With the actions of those that participated in the mission, the United States was able to leave a physical mark on the uncharted territory thought to have been far beyond human reach.
The Mercury craft was fastened to the top of the booster for launch. Upon reaching the limits of Earth’s atmosphere, the boosters were released from the module, and fell into an uninhabited ocean. The first Mercury launch was performed on May 5, 1961. The ship, Freedom 7, was the first U.S. craft used for manned space flight. Astronaut Alan Shepard, Jr. remained in suborbital flight for 15 minutes and 22 seconds, with an accumulated distance of 116 miles.
Even in the late 19th century, few people believed such a feat was possible, and yet, a mere half a century later, the first man was launched into space (Irvine 5). How did the human race go from just dreaming about space to actually launching human beings into space in such a short time? Surprisingly, the United States’ space program started with the Cold War. The Cold War pushed the United States and the Soviet Union into a space race in which both nations rapidly developed space programs and tried to best each other in space exploration (Cold War 1). The Kennedy Space Center was built in Florida as a control center which handled many of the shuttle launches into space (NASA 1).
“On July 16, 1969 the world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon.” (news.nationalgeographic.com). This was the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the first successful manned mission to the moon. This mission was the product of the space race (race to see who would go into outer space first, against the Soviet Union). This goal was set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961 and he promised that we would be the first to step on the moon by the end of the decade. The Apollo 11 mission is often cited as the greatest achievement in human history. (news.nationalgeographic.com)
Neil Armstrong looked at it not only as a great triumph for America, but also for the human race when he said "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" on his first step on the moon (Dunbar). On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech about what he called "urgent national needs" at a stadium at Rice University in Houston, Texas (“NASA Moon Landing”). In that speech, he challenged America to "commit itself to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth by the end of the decade"(Schlager and Lauer). This became known as Kennedy's challenge and the idea was to outperform the Soviets. While the Soviets were off to a better start with the launch of Sputnik I, we soon rose to the challenge and accomplished our goal only eight years later on June 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin safely landed on the moon. With the great accomplishments of Apollo 11, America had bettered the Soviets and established superiority in space.
The first man to travel to space was Yuri Gagarin. History was made on April 12, 1961, when he successfully orbited the earth in the Votsok 1. His flight lasted one hour and 48 minutes and as he circled the earth, his speed was about 17,000 mph on the Votsok 1. Following this mission, Gagarin was killed in a test airplane crash .
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It was July 20 1969, the day that reshaped our nation and gave us unparalleled dreams for the future. The impact of the day goes far beyond our pride and nationalism; that day would change space exploration and technology forever. Just like a shooting star, that day would give us a glimpse of hope. A chance to see an event so breathtaking and defying, it would be man’s greatest accomplishment in the 20th century. As millions of people watched from their TV sets, a rush of euphoria came over the nation as Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the surface of the moon. It was the first time in the history of mankind that we would step on the surface of another celestial body. John F. Kennedy dared us to dream, he inspired the nation to reach for the moon, to set ourselves apart from the rest of the world. The Space Race was symbolic of many things. Our future as the technically dominate nation was secured in place; just as secure as Old Glory would be, when she was driven down into the soil of the moon. We not only reached the moon, we conquered it as a nation; united.
The modern day space environment is no longer a mystery to humans. Yuri Gagarin of Russia was the first person to experience space adventure in 1961. Since then, technological advances have enabled space exploration, with new discoveries being made from time to time. Scientists have significantly contributed to the development of space tourism. Noteworthy inventions by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have transformed human life through increasing accessibility to space. The agency has made it possible for astronauts to go to the moon and also to walk around planet Mars with robotic automobiles. The invention of the tri-axis control design has had a significant influence on modern space explorations, helping astronauts to effectively focus their satellites on the target. This has been important in increasing efficiency and precision in astronomical discoveries (Birchard, 2003).