16 Baby Boomer’s Life in Space

John Howell

16.1 Introduction

Keywords/ Glossary

  • Democracy – a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
  • Communism – a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
  • Tentative – not certain or fixed; provisional.
  • Fruition – the point at which a plan or project is realized.
  • Solidified – make or become hard or solid, make stronger, reinforce
  • Relevance – the quality or state of being closely connected or appropriate
  • Vicariously – experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.

 

Learning Objectives

 

  • By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:
    • Understand and explain the technological progressions of the space shuttle over time.
    • Tell the story of the Cold War, and what impact the Space Race directly had on it.
    • Understand the history of Apollo 11.

 

16.2 What is the Space Shuttle?

Key Takeaway(s)

This subsection will entail the technological progression of the space shuttle and its journey to the moon.

The space shuttle is an advanced piece of technology that has progressed light years since its first prototype in 1957. This was the first test run of any kind of spacecraft in the world, and it was a Russian satellite by the name of the Sputnik 1. It was launched into orbit unmanned, but in 1961, the first man went to space courtesy of the USSR craft, Vostok 1. The US began to work on planes, or advanced planes which would soon be known as space shuttles by the names of X-15, X-20 and the Dyna-Soar. These planes made nearly 200 test flights from 1959-1968 reaching outer space on a few occasions. According to space.com, “It reached outer space, which officially begins at an altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers), on several occasions. And the X-15 still holds the world record for fastest manned rocket-powered aircraft, reaching a top speed of 4,520 mph (7,274 kph) during one 1967 test flight.” (Wall, 2011) This was a groundbreaking discovery at this point in time, America began to take the upper hand at this point in time.

This competition of space exploration began to intensify and the race to land on the moon was underway. Countries around the world began to compete to land on the moon first but there was a problem, nobody had developed such technology that was able to withstand space, as well as have the capability of landing and taking back off. This was no task too tall for the US and in 1969 the Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched into orbit successfully completing the first moon landing. “The first Moon landing is a story littered with big numbers. It took eight years, 10 practice-run missions, more than 400,000 engineers, scientists and technicians, and in today’s money roughly $150b to make the first tentative (not certain or fixed; provisional) steps on another planetary body.” (IOP, 2022) The moon landing was a complicated effort by the US but with the technological advancements made during this time, it was able to come to fruition (the point at which a plan or project is realized).

16.3 Apollo 11

Key Takeaway(s)

This subsection will discuss the Apollo 11 moon landing and the significance of this during the time period.

The Apollo 11 moon landing was one of the most historic events in all of the world. The moon landing was widely significant because it was the first time a human had ever been outside of a space shuttle, it was the first time a human had ever been on the moon, it was the first up close pictures of the moon ever taken, and it solidified (make or become hard or solid, make stronger, reinforce) a US victory in the Space Race as well. “Fifty-two years ago, the Apollo 11 crew landed on the moon — the culmination of a decade-long “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union — widely regarded as one of humanity’s greatest achievements.” (Engle, 2021) This was a huge deal throughout the world, as the current President of the United States became widely involved, even making it a large part of his  campaign for his potential second term. “After a Soviet cosmonaut became the first person to orbit Earth on April 12, 1961, the newly elected President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to the ambitious goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade.” (Engle, 2021) This was a huge deal among Americans at the time.

Common knowledge is knowing the infamous moon landing quote, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Or so we thought. After diving into detail on the moon landing and how through listening to recordings through technological sound waves the scientists were actually able to discover what was not actually quoted. The actual quote was, “That’s one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind.” The article,  “’One small step for man’: Was Neil Armstrong misquoted?” details the work that went into figuring this out as well as the recording itself.  The actual quote has been discovered to have uttered something different, Journalist Natalie Wolchover writes that Scientist Peter Ford proves this through his analysis of the soundwaves of this altercation. “Ford downloaded the audio recording of the moon man’s words from a NASA website and analyzed the statement with software that allows disabled people to communicate via computers using their nerve impulses. In a graphical representation of sound waves of the famous sentence, Ford said he found evidence that the missing “a” had been spoken after all: It was a 35-millisecond-long bump of sound between “for” and “man” that would have been too brief for human ears to hear.” (Wolchover, 2012) This confirms that the actual quote Armstrong muttered in 1969 is in fact, “That’s one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind.” This is a relevant piece of information because it shows how outdated technology of the Baby Boomer generation could have played a role in the groundbreaking discoveries of this time.

 

Figure 16.1. This is a picture of the piece of Apollo 11 that returned to Earth after orbiting the moon and landing upon it in 1969. Three men, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Mike Collins were all a part of this mission riding in this small piece of reinforced metal and steel the whole time.

“Apollo 11” by Wikipedia Commons is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

16.4 America’s Reaction of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Key Takeaway(s)

This subsection will cover the current President of the States at the time of speech post moon landing as well as many reactions and stories from the public at the time of this historic event.

As it can be imagined, the reaction of the public at the time was ecstatic and relieved. It was finally done, a country had completed a successful voyage to the moon and back. As expected, the President makes his speech but does it in a format that really helps the audience understand more about the mission. The President of the time, Richard M. Nixon, sits down with the three men who made the journey to space, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Mike Collins. This speech comes in the form of an interview with President Nixon directing the questions at the astronauts. This speech or interview of sorts was released on July 24, 1969, four days after the astronauts returned to Earth. This primary source details about how the moon landing was broadcasted all over the world, and to how many people’s lives it had changed at that specific moment in time. “Over one hundred foreign governments, Emperors, and Presidents and Prime Ministers and Kings have sent the most warm messages that we have ever received. They represent over 2 billion people on this Earth. All of them who have had the opportunity through television to see what you have done.” (Nixon, 1969) This shows the level of relevance (the quality or state of being closely connected or appropriate) the moon landing had on the world and all of those involved.

Next on, we will discuss the moon landing through the eyes of the public and view stories from the eyes of your average American citizen at the time. This includes many first hand accounts of the moon landing in 1969 through a series of first person point of view excerpts. This is raw and real information from the mouths of the people who were either close by watching or had a hand in the exploration of Apollo 11. One of the best stories comes from a first hand view of the Apollo 11 launch, in this you can hear the true excitement that the man still has almost 50 years later in 2018. “In 1969 I was 16-years-old. That summer, my parents packed the family in the car to take us to experience an event they felt would be educational and one for the memories–the Apollo 11 launch. I remember waking up in the week hours of July 16 to park the car in a prime viewing area on the Banana River. The plan was to sleep in the car, but I was far too excited. From where we parked you could see the Saturn 5, lit up with spotlights, ready to go. When the launch occurred the ground shook and everyone around us was cheering and yelling. It was a thrilling and pivotal moment of my youth.” (Kuehl, 2018) This is a poster story representing the excitement that the public had for this event. This was one of, if not the biggest historical event of their young modern lives.

 

Figure 16.2. This is Buzz Aldrin who was the second man to ever walk on the moon, in the reflection is his counterpart, Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to ever walk on the moon. (1969)

“Apollo Moon Landing” by NASA is in the Public Domain

16.5 The Importance of the Space Race

Key Takeaway(s)

Everything Space Race, including its natural importance as well as a detailed timeline of events.

The space race took place from 1957-1969 beginning with the Russian Satellite Sputnik in ‘57 and ending with the Apollo 11 moon landing in ‘69. The Sputnik launch into orbit as well as its return can be viewed as a primary source at the Universal Videos Archive, under the title of Sputnik 1957. (Universal Studios, 1957)

The space race was an event that became way more serious than ever would’ve been intended due to prior world events at this period in time. With the occurrence of the Cold War between the US and USSR, the space race was just used as another game to win, it supplied more bragging rights. The Cold War, which helped ignite the fire of the Space Race in the 1960s was also fueled by that of the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. These events were all major contributors to hyping up the Space Race. These events would help make a Space Race victory that much sweeter. The process of getting a man to the moon was a challenge the US would not shy away from, and in essence win. Although feeling victorious, it was a long and bumpy road to get there. “From 1961 to 1964, NASA’s budget was increased almost 500 percent, and the lunar landing program eventually involved some 34,000 NASA employees and 375,000 employees of industrial and university contractors. Apollo suffered a setback in January 1967, when three astronauts were killed after their spacecraft caught fire during a launch simulation.” (History.com Editors, 2010) The process of getting a man to the moon cost lives and money, both of which are certainly neither things as a general disposal, especially not human lives. The Space Race was now a war in itself.

Nearing closer to 1969, in 1968 the US has had a man now officially orbit the moon and they can smell the finish line, victory is near. Then, on July 20, 1969, the first man to ever touch the moon returned to Earth alive and well to tell the story. “By landing on the moon, the United States effectively “won” the space race that had begun with Sputnik’s launch in 1957. For their part, the Soviets made four failed attempts to launch a lunar landing craft between 1969 and 1972, including a spectacular launch-pad explosion in July 1969. From beginning to end, the American public’s attention was captivated by the space race, and the various developments by the Soviet and U.S. space programs were heavily covered in the national media. This frenzy of interest was further encouraged by the new medium of television. Astronauts came to be seen as the ultimate American heroes, and earth-bound men and women seemed to enjoy living vicariously (experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person) through them. Soviets, in turn, were pictured as the ultimate villains, with their massive, relentless efforts to surpass America and prove the power of the communist system.” (History.com Editors, 2010)

 

Figure 16.3. This image defines the “Space Race” of the 1950s & 60s between the United States and Soviet Union. This picture includes images from the first satellite (Sputnik) sent into orbit by Russia in 1957 on the left. As well as a picture of the first moon landing by Apollo 11 of the US in 1969 on the right.

“Space Race “ by Wikipedia Commons is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

 

Case Study – Jobs in Space

Although having its number of cons, the Space Race supplied many Americans with much needed jobs. The Space Race was something that was backed by the whole country, whether it be through funding or all around moral support. Throughout the Space Race, a lot of time, effort, and money was used. The US brought an “all hands on deck” mentality to the Space Race involving as many people as possible. The lunar landing program (Apollo 11) eventually involved some 34,000 NASA employees and 375,000 employees of industrial and university contractors. Not only did the Space Race provide a platform to help America spread its global dominance, but it provided jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans in a time of scarcity.

 

Chapter Summary

To sum things up, the key features of space exploration include but are not limited to, the technological development of the space shuttle, the moon landing of Apollo 11, and the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The space shuttle was a key piece of technology at this time because of the purpose it served. The space shuttle became more than an exploration device and was used to help the country establish global dominance, and ultimately win the Space Race. Apollo 11 however, was a specific space shuttle that carried out the moon landing mission in 1969, and solidified an American victory in the Space Race because a moon landing was like the final task to complete. The biggest task that could be completed.

 

Review Questions

1. What is the name of the Lunar Landing mission led by Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Mike Collins?

    • A.  Apollo 8
    • B.  Apollo 13
    • C.  Apollo 9
    • D.  Apollo 11

2. Who were the main two global superpowers competing in the Space Race?

    • A.  United States and China
    • B.  United States and Russia (Soviet Union)
    • C.  United States and North Korea
    • D.  North Korea and Russia (Soviet Union)

3. What year did the moon landing occur? (hint: answer to question one)

    • A.  1968
    • B.  1957
    • C.  1969
    • D.  1964

Answer Key – 1. D, 2. B, 3. C

 

Food For Thought

  1. What was the cultural significance and impact of the Space Race ranging from the early 1950s to late 1960s?
  2. Was Apollo 11 the first attempted moon landing?
  3. What country initiated the Space Race, and were they the same country to eventually end it?

References

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From G.I. to Z: A Generational Guide to Technology Copyright © by John Howell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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