Apollo Programs In The 1950's

The 1950’s and 1960’s was a period in history in which there was much turmoil between the nations of the world. The most notorious rivalry was between the United States and the Soviet Union, as both countries were seeking a dominant position with the intent of influencing the world’s nonaligned nations. For the majority of the second half of the twentieth century, the Soviet Union and the United States were embroiled in a global contest; an aspect of this battle was the growing field of space technology, which was exemplified by the Apollo Program, which opened the door for numerous advancements in the fields of technology, education, and United States society as a whole.
The concept of the Apollo Program was first conceived during the presidency
of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower during the 1950s. The initial idea for the expedition was a three-man spacecraft to follow the one-man Project Mercury, which would put the first Americans into space. Eisenhower held modest support from the public for the nation’s space projects, but that began to change when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957. Due to Sputnik gaining the Soviet Union a great deal of prestige around the globe, Eisenhower immediately funded both space exploration and science and higher education in order to keep pace.
In 1960, John F.
Kennedy, a Senator from Massachusetts, ran for President as the Democratic candidate. Using the slogan, "Let's get this country moving again," Kennedy charged the Eisenhower Administration with neglecting the innumerable social, economic, and international issues that caused crisis in the nation throughout the 1950s. Kennedy was particularly critical about Eisenhower's background in international relations, taking a Cold Warrior position on a supposed "missile gap” wherein the United States lagged far behind the Soviet Union in ICBM technology. He also invoked the Cold War rhetoric opposing a communist effort to take over the world and used as his evidence the 1959 revolution in Cuba that brought leftist dictator Fidel Castro to power. The Republican candidate, Richard M. Nixon, who had been Eisenhower's Vice President tried to defend his mentor's record but when the results were in Kennedy was elected by a narrow margin of 118,550 out of more than 68 million popular votes
cast.
John F. Kennedy was inaugurated into office on January 20, 1961, and immediately began his quest to strengthen the United States’ position in the rivalry with the USSR. Kennedy had minimal direct interest in the U.S. space program. He was not a visionary enraptured with the romantic image of the last American frontier in space and consumed by the adventure of exploring the unknown. He was, on the other hand, a Cold Warrior with a keen sense of Realpolitik in foreign affairs, and worked hard to maintain balance of power and spheres of influence in American-Soviet relations. The Soviet Union's non-military accomplishments in space, therefore, forced Kennedy to respond and to serve notice that the U.S. was every bit as capable in the space arena as the Soviets. Of course, to prove this fact, Kennedy had to be willing to commit national resources to NASA and the civil space program.
The Cold War realities of the time, therefore, served as the primary vehicle for an expansion of NASA's activities and for the definition of Project Apollo as the premier civil space effort of the nation.
On May 25, 1961, President Kennedy announced to a Joint session of Congress his goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade. This decision involved much study and review prior to making it public, and tremendous expenditure and effort to make it a reality by 1969. Only the building of the Panama Canal rivaled the Apollo program's size as the largest non-military technological endeavor ever undertaken by the United States; only the Manhattan Project was comparable in a wartime setting. The human spaceflight imperative was a direct outgrowth of the Manhattan Project; Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo were each designed to execute it. It was successfully accomplished on 20 July 1969, when Apollo 11's astronaut Neil Armstrong left the Lunar Module and set foot on the surface of the Moon.
The entire program of space exploration spanned from ____ to _____ and comprised of ___ separate projects, each with an individual objective. The mission Apollo 1, also called Apollo 204, was one of the most tragic happenings in recent history. Three crewmembers were killed in a fire in the Command Module during a test at Cape Canaveral on Jan. 27, 1967. Initial investigations pointed to a short-circuiting of a nearby wire as the main cause of the fire. Due to the severity of the event, the entire program was put on hold while they investigated the malfunction of the test module. As a result, NASA innovated a new, less flammable, highly reliable craft.
There were no missions titled Apollo 2 and 3, so the next mission was known as Apollo 4. The module, which was unmanned, launched and landed on Nov. 9, 1967. Its purpose was to take pictures and collect data of the quality of space. Apollo 5 was launched January 22, 1968, and was also unmanned. It was the first test flight of the Lunar Module. The mission was used in order to verify the ascent and descent stages, propulsion systems, restart operations, and to evaluate the structure of the spacecraft. Overall, it was a very successful mission, and brought NASA a great deal of information to work with.
The number of societal advancements and benefits that were generated by the space program were very significant. For instance, the “moon boots” used during the various expeditions directly revolutionized athletic footwear. Scientists substituted DuPont’s Hytrel plastic for foam materials in the shoe’s mid-sole to eliminate cushioning loss caused by body weight. An external pressurized shell and stress-free “blow molding” process adapted from NASA spacesuit technology was also used. The resulting compression chamber mid-sole allowed popular shoemakers to reconfigure designs for specific sports and provide a “first step” toward a durable, foamless, non-fatiguing mid-sole.
NASA also paved the way for a modern staple in sports arenas, the retractable roof. NASA’s spacesuit fabric has fostered many new innovations, including a permanent structure fabric developed for the Apollo Program and produced by New York-based Birdair, Inc. Pound for pound, the material is stronger than steel and weighs less than five ounces per square foot. Its translucency value, which ranges from four to 18 percent, reduces lighting needs and helps maintain the natural grass playing field. Its reflectivity lowers cooling costs, and the Teflon coating reduces maintenance costs by increasing the fabric’s resistance to moisture, temperature extremes and deterioration. These factors combine to lower initial costs and speed construction.
Fire hazards are much greater in atmospheres containing a high percentage of oxygen under pressure. After the 1967 Apollo tragedy, NASA needed to find new ways to protect astronauts and their vessels. The Monsanto Company developed a chemically treated fabric called Durette that does not burn. This fabric led to the development of fire-safe suits as well as safety devices such as the fire blanket.
The Apollo Program is where the initial progression of solar panels got its spark. Solar panels collect electricity by absorbing light when it strikes the surface and transfer the electricity to a semiconductor. This technology stemmed from NASAs ability to harness energy from the sun to power the Space Station. In addition, heart monitors, pacemakers, and dialysis treatment were advanced and made more efficient.
Home life was another aspect that was improved by the Apollo Program, as companies such as Black and Decker began manufacturing cordless appliances that ran on batteries.
These lightweight battery-powered precision instruments were designed to give surgeons freedom and versatility in the operation room, allow carpenters and other skilled workers to efficiently produce goods, and more. They also led to today’s electric screwdrivers, drills and other portable and chargeable devices, all of which are also used to help build the International Space Station on orbit. Also created were vacuum cleaners and the dust buster, which helped the Apollo crew in picking up rock dust, drilling beneath the lunar surface, and more. The discovery of quartz as a time-telling ingredient was made during the Space Age, and the mineral began being placed in clocks and watches. Quartz helps stabilize the time keeping to the expense of one minute per
year.
The Apollo Program, through its scrutinizing of its shortcomings and innovative technology, also paved the way for groundbreaking advancements in the way society lives today. For instance, the development of security systems took place during the Space Age. Before prowlers can break in, vibration-sensing detectors pick up movements of anyone within range and relay warnings to portable radio receivers that alert guards or residents. Encased in a stainless steel tube, the detectors are implanted in the ground outside the facility being protected - home, bank, industrial complex or other facility.
Another category that the Apollo Program bolstered was the politics of the United States as a global power. The achievement of landing on the moon and the gathering of useful information from space created a sense of superiority in American minds. It helped stabilize the image of patriotism in America as well as the legacy and importance of the nation to the world. The projects helped the United States gain many allies that were relieved to see the United States’ overtake the USSR as the major world power.
The United States’ space program has been a tremendous success and great source of national pride. The commitment and dedication of the nation’s leaders to support an initiative that was initially needed to face a perceived threat from the Soviet Union shows how the nation can really around an important cause. Besides the groundbreaking benefits to society described above, the Apollo Program reestablished the United States as a worldwide force. Under John F. Kennedy’s leadership as President, the Apollo Program helped America surpass the Soviet Union in technology, science, importance, and leadership.