Man on the Moon

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses one of the most important and nation altering events to occur in the 1960s, the Apollo astronaut program, specifically, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren's successful walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. It analyzes how space flight stimulated the nation's growth in myriad ways. It looks at the many technological advances came from the Mercury and Apollo programs and beyond, from lightweight metal alloys to smaller and smaller computer guidance systems which eventually turned into desktop computers so extremely prevalent in the world today. It evaluates how if we had not gone to the moon, our lives today might be much different and so would many of our institutions. Space flight stimulated technological growth, national pride and the notion that we can still "reach for the stars."

From the Paper:

"First came the Mercury project, where America put men in space. On May 5, 1961, Major Alan Shepard, a Naval academy graduate and test pilot, climbed aboard the Freedom 7 capsule atop a Redstone rocket and became the first American in space. Shepard's flight was sub orbital and lasted only 15 minutes, but it showed America we could still be vital in the space race (which the Russians were winning at the moment), and it kindled spirit and passion in the minds of Americans. The Mercury program ran from 1958 to 1963, and satisfied all its objectives. The Gemini flights between 1965 and 1966 were designed to transition between the Mercury exercises and the Apollo moon missions. The Gemini flights were to teach us how maneuver a spacecraft by maneuvering it in orbit, rendezvousing in space, docking with other vehicles, perfecting methods of entering the atmosphere, and landing at a preselected point on land."

More papers on Man on the Moon:

• Essay # 47717 : "A Walk On The Moon"
• Analytical Essay # 65031 : "Linda Hogan's "Aunt Moon's Young Man"
• Term Paper # 109472 : "Was the Apollo Moon Landing a Conspiracy Hoax?"

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