Throughout human existence there have been many achievements that immediately and overwhelmingly changed the course of history. Other events are considered to have shaped the world over the longer-term using historical perspective. The Apollo missions and the moon landing in July 1969 changed and shaped the world excessively. The impact was significant and the iconic image of Armstrong’s first steps is sustained to this day.
There are also longer-term impacts that can be only measured forty years later. In interpreting and answering this question, I will consider key issues such as the political, economic, technological & scientific and the social impact of the moon landing. I will benefit by making use of historical concepts, namely context, perspective, continuity and change as well as reflection on the counterfactual …show more content…
In 1973, total cost of Apollo program was estimated as $25.4 billion, which was re-estimated by NASA in 2009 as $176 billion dollars. In 2009, NASA cost of the whole program produced a figure of $170 billion dollars. This heavy expense caused public concern and only slightly more than 50% of the citizens supported the mission. 45 years later the value for money has been questioned.
Perspective must be used to view the impact as year’s later historians can judge how the economics of Apollo missions shaped and changed the world. What is significant is that it links to the political impact. To some observers, the Moon landing illustrated that a capitalistic model was more able to promote innovation and the required mobilization of engineering, technological and scientific resources than the Soviet system. Secondly, the Apollo missions produced many technological advances that still benefit our economy today.
Technological impact of the Moon