The moon landing is a defining moment in American history that will forever unite the country together. For numerous reasons, the importance of sending a man onto the moon was stressed by supporters. The U.S. believed that it in order to keep its position as a world leader, it was vital to beat the Soviet Union to the moon. A man on the moon would help aid the U.S. with new discoveries of extremely useful information about the moon. Information more valuable than a satellite could ever obtain (Space Race). The choice made by John F. Kennedy to place a man on the moon opened an endless realm of possibilities for space exploration, while simultaneously uniting and boosting the morale of the American people together. After the long-lasting fight of World War II, the only two great powers that were left in the world were the United States and the Soviet Union. Both countries differed in many ways. For example, they were dissimilar economically, politically, and culturally. When the war ended, tension rose …show more content…
The space race is the period of time where the United States and Soviet Union were competing against each other’s spaceflight capability and ever changing/improving modern technology. Both sides tried to prove themselves superiority of their science, technology, and engineering skills. The Soviet Union took the lead in this space exploration after launching Sputnik (a satellite that orbited Earth), and sent a man into space years after. The United States tried catching up but had several failed attempts. A month following the Soviet Union sending a man into space, the United States elected a new president, John. F Kennedy. Kennedy argued that he would not, “settle for second place”, and that he was ready to put a man on the moon. Soon after, on July 20th, 600 million people turned on their television to witness two American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to walk on the moon