Landing on the Moon
Importance of NASA and the Space race
Overview
Between 1957 and 1975, the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union motivated each nation to attain firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national security and symbolic of technological and ideological superiority. The Space Race involved pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, sub-orbital and orbitalhuman spaceflight around the Earth, and piloted voyages to the Moon. It effectively began with the Soviet launch of theSputnik 1 artificial satellite on 4 October 1957, and concluded with the co-operative Apollo-Soyuz Test Project human spaceflight mission in July 1975. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project came to symbolize détente, a partial easing of strained relations between the USSR and the US.
The Space Race had its origins in the missile-based arms race that occurred just after the end of the World War II, when both the Soviet Union and the United States captured advanced German rocket technology and personnel.
The Space Race sparked unprecedented increases in spending on education and pure research, which accelerated scientific advancements and led to beneficial spin-off technologies. An unforeseen effect was that the Space Race contributed to the birth of the environmental movement; the first color pictures of Earth taken from deep space were used as icons by the movement to imply that the planet was a fragile "blue marble" surrounded by the blackness of space.
Some famous probes and missions include Sputnik 1, Explorer 1, Vostok 1, Mariner 2, Ranger 7, Luna 9, Alouette 1,Apollo 8, and Apollo 11.
Source: Wikipedia: Space Race
RAFT: President Kennedy's Request For More Funding
RAFT ASSIGNMENT:
The following assignment asks student to read over the speech given by President Kennedy and then analyze the text. Students are required to find the Role, Audience, Format, and Topic and then answer the writing question below.
RAFT Assignment:
Below is an excerpt from a speech given by President John F. Kennedy. Read from SPACE to the end (only 3 pages) Then answer the questions below:
President Kennedy Space Mission
Read pages 8-11 (starting with Space)
| ROLE: | AUDIENCE |
| FORMAT | TOPIC: |
| |
| President Kennedy is asking for more money for the space program. Do you think he should be given more money? Also, how has the NASA program impacted your life today? Your answer should be at least 10-15 sentences long |